Doug Gottlieb Says 'I Never Went After LeBron, That's Bull Crap' and Talks Bronny

Doug Gottlieb doubled down on some of his positions regarding LeBron and Bronny James during a Wednesday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show (seven-minute mark).

The head coach of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay men's basketball team said, "I never went after LeBron, that's bull crap."

He also admitted that previous comments suggesting the younger James wouldn't have started for the Phoenix were incorrect even though he still disagrees with the USC product playing in the NBA this season.

"In hindsight, yeah he probably would have started," Gottlieb said. "… The mid-major level is where he should have gone. I stand by that. He should have gone to Duquesne for a year and played for LeBron's best friend, gotten his confidence."

Bronny James played one season at USC and averaged just 4.8 points per game before the Lakers used a second-round pick on him in the 2024 NBA draft.

"This has been such a dog and pony show, and LeBron's gone around the country chastising Stephen A. Smith and tweeting me for no reason because all I've ever done is be honest," Gottlieb continued. "Sorry, I saw your son play in the Mission League. He was not one of the 10 best high school players in that league."

In February, James took to social media to mock Gottlieb's losing streak in his first season as a head coach:

As Robert Marvi of USA Today's LeBron Wire explained, Gottlieb previously made a number of critical comments about Bronny James being on the Lakers and said the Purple and Gold were treating him "like he's a Make-A-Wish kid."

He also criticized King James when Bronny was assigned to G League games but only when the team was playing at home.

"This toxicity is based upon one guy," Gottlieb said. "And LeBron is a good father, is a good parent, but he's a bad basketball parent because he's making people elevate his kid to a level that his skill is not close to being at."

There was also some back-and-forth between LeBron and ESPN's Smith regarding how the analyst talked about Bronny James that even included a confrontation courtside at a Lakers game. Both parties also addressed the situation in the aftermath.

The younger James appeared in just 27 games in his rookie season and averaged 2.3 points a night. He was an afterthought in the Lakers' rotation and didn't look like someone with a particularly bright NBA future.

As for Gottlieb, his team was an abysmal 4-28 in his first season as head coach.

The Phoenix went 18-14 in 2023-24 before he arrived.