Stephen A.: LeBron James Said 'Stop F-ing' with Bronny in Viral Video of Confrontation
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith revealed Friday on First Take the reason behind Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James confronting him prior to Thursday's game between the Lakers and New York Knicks.
Smith said LeBron's son, Lakers guard Bronny James, was the topic of the heated conversation, which went viral after being captured on video:
Stephen A. added that LeBron made it clear he wasn't happy with things he had said or things LeBron heard he had said about Bronny:
"That was LeBron James, coming up to me unexpectedly I might add, to confront me about making sure that I mind what I say about his son. Can't repeat the words because they ain't suited for FCC airwave. That's what he was doing. Now I thought long and hard about this over the last few hours, because I had no intentions of talking about this at all. And the reason why is because it was a one on one, I wouldn't say a conversation, but it was a one-on-one confrontation. But then I wake up and everybody from ESPN and my agent and everybody else were sending me that this thing had gone viral. And so ultimately it was unavoidable and that is why I have to discuss it now.
"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father. And I can't sit here and be angry, or feel slighted by LeBron James and any way in that regard. By all accounts, he's obviously a wonderful family man and a wonderful father who cares very, very deeply about his son. And based on some of the comments that he had heard, or shall I say, I think he thought he heard, he clearly took exception to some of the things that he heard me say, and he confronted me about it."
Smith later revealed on his podcast that James told him to "stop f-ing with my son. That's my f-ing son. Stop f-ing with my son."
LeBron and the Lakers went on to beat the Knicks 113-109 in overtime on Thursday, running their winning streak to eight in a row.
It is unclear exactly which comments LeBron took issue with, but Smith has not been shy about voicing his opinions about Bronny and his viability as an NBA player.
Back in January, Smith discussed Bronny on First Take (h/t SI.com's Kyle Koster) and strongly suggested that he wasn't deserving of any of the NBA playing time he has gotten as a rookie:
"I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story. And then reality sets in. We love what we're seeing from him in the G League because that's where you belong as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn—which I believe he has the potential to do, I am rooting for Bronny James. It would be cruel to root against him. He's a wonderful kid, I wish him nothing but the best.
"But he's LeBron James' son. And everybody knows what attention that brings ... Right now Bronny James is averaging 0.3 points, 0.3 assists and 0.4 rebounds. You know what people are saying. You know what they're going to do to this kid."
Despite struggling in his first and only collegiate season at USC with averages of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, Bronny decided to enter the 2024 NBA draft.
The Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the second round, leading to accusations of nepotism since his father is one of the greatest and most influential players of all time.
Bronny and LeBron shared the court at the same time in the Lakers' regular-season opener, marking the first time a father-son duo had ever done so in NBA history.
The 20-year-old Bronny has appeared in 18 NBA games overall this season, and he has struggled mightily to make a positive impact.
In limited action, the rookie is averaging 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists over 4.2 minutes per contest, while shooting just 25.8 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Although Bronny has looked overmatched at the NBA level, it has been a different story in the G League where he averages 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in seven games.
That level of production suggests Bronny has the potential to be an NBA contributor in the future, but it isn't translating to NBA games yet.
Ultimately, Bronny has barely been used compared to almost every other player on the roster, and the Lakers are currently one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
At 40-21, the Lakers are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and they may be the biggest threat to take down the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.
