No other rookie has been criticized more than Bronny James. The LA Lakers rookie was the 55th pick of this season’s NBA draft and despite being a late second-round pick, James has faced the heat from fans and media alike. The 20-year-old guard has tried his best to ignore all the noise and focus on honing his skills. On Thursday, it was finally time for Bronny James to step up and show out. That’s exactly what the Lakers rookie did! With almost the entire starting lineup injured, James put on a show.
He dropped a career-high 17 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in a 118-89 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. James played 30 minutes and shot a massive 70 percent from the field. While LA lost the game, it was a great night for the rookie, who attracted massive praise from several people. Among them was none other than ESPN journalist Stephen A. Smith. Yes, you heard it correctly! The same Smith who had a beef with Bronny’s father LeBron James recently. He seems to have taken a U-Turn on his assessment of the Lakers rookie.
In fact, Stephen A. Smith admitted his mistake on National Television. “I might have been wrong. Are you listening, LeBron James? Are you listening, James’ family? Are you listening, Rich Paul? Are you listening, all of you people? Because here’s my position. My position was all along, that Bronny James needed to be in the G League, that we put him in the G League, and let him be in the G League his first year. 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.” Said Smith on ‘First Take‘. Well, Smith doesn’t often admit his mistakes, on the contrary, once he makes up his mind on a certain matter he usually sticks with it.
“I’ve always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA.” – Stephen A. Smith on Bronny James pic.twitter.com/AhhVSU8ocd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 21, 2025
But, he had to give credit where it was due. Bronny James has put in a lot of work on his game and is yielding results. Well, he’s still very far from being in the regular rotation but he’s making great progress. Meanwhile, Smith’s newest take on the rookie has caught fire on social media and has everyone giving out their opinions. One fan stated, “He got in line.” Suggesting that Smith has started to believe in Bronny James after the confrontation with LeBron. However, this is not all! There’s a lot people have to say about this take.
The post Everyone Agrees About Stephen A. Smith’s Behavior After ESPN Vet Admits Mistake With Bronny James on National TV appeared first on EssentiallySports.
