Stephen A. Smith Under Fire Over New Bronny James Message

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 7:40 PM ET

Stephen A. Smith has been highly critical of Bronny James ever since he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. In fact, in January, the ESPN host even went as far as to say that the youngster "is in the NBA because of his dad," LeBron James.

As many fans know, Smith's comments about Bronny James sparked a viral confrontation with LeBron James. Earlier this March, during a Lakers game against the New York Knicks, the four-time NBA champion was seen getting into an intense exchange with the veteran reporter.

Interestingly, though, Smith changed his tune about Bronny James following the Lakers' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. With L.A.'s key players out, the young James had the opportunity to get more playing time and made the most of it.

In the 118-89 loss to the Bucks, the 20-year-old guard finished with career-highs of 17 points and five assists, while shooting 7-of-10 from the field.

"I was very impressed because I saw an elevation in his level of confidence and poise. It was like it didn't really phase him, he didn't look as nervous as he had looked in previous appearances on the court," Smith said of Bronny James on "First Take."

Smith then went on to say that he "might've been wrong" about Bronny James.

"My position was all along, Bronny James needed to be in the G League... and then after that let him come on because I've always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA." Smith added.

"But what I saw last night made me say to myself, 'What a minute. He keeps showing up and playing like that, JJ Redick and his staff obviously doing an exceptional job coaching him. The G Leaguers obviously doing a good job of preparing him, him sitting on the bench learning and watching the Lakers play... Evidently that seems to be working for him."

While Smith emphasized that one game is not enough to fully assess Bronny James' capabilities, he believes that the USC Trojans product will be a "bona fide player sooner than later" if he maintains his current level of play.

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While it's nice to see Stephen A. Smith give Bronny James compliments, some people took issue with his switch-up.

"Lame," actor Jamie Foxx wrote.

Another one said, "The switch up is insane."

"Losing respect for this guy," a critic added.

"Nawhhhhhhh! Come on! You can’t go back and forth now…" a commenter further stated.

A social media user shared, "nope stay on that side."

"Weak stuff," FOX Sports analyst Jason Mcintyre shared.

It remains to be seen if Smith will ever address the backlash he's getting. What's clear, however, is it doesn't look like he's going to stop talking about the Jameses any time soon.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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