Bronny James Is Tragically On Everyone's Lips After LeBron Went Off At Stephen A. Smith
It's never easy for a kid to follow in their famous folks' footsteps, so your heart has to ache for poor Bronny James. As the son of 6 feet 8 inches, 250-pound LeBron James, he has size 15 shoes to fill. Bronny also has the added pressure of playing alongside his dad for the Lakers, something that's resulted in accusations of nepotism. But, hey, don't talk smack about LeBron's oldest son within the proud papa's earshot because that won't end well — a lesson Stephen A. Smith learned the hard way during a March 2025 Lakers and Knicks game. LeBron went off at Smith in a courtside showdown that was caught on camera and posted on X, formerly Twitter. "Did LeBron tell Stephen A to keep Bronny out of his mouth??" Barstool Sports captioned the clip.
Did LeBron tell Stephen A to keep Bronny out his mouth??
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 7, 2025
Well, yep. He most certainly did and in no uncertain terms. "That was LeBron James coming up to me, unexpectedly, I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son," Smith shared on an episode of ESPN's "First Take" on Friday. "I can't repeat the words because they aren't suited for FCC airwaves. That's what he was doing."
Smith admitted that he'd had no intention of discussing the altercation but felt compelled to after the clip went viral. "That wasn't a basketball player confronting me," he explained. "That was a parent. That was a father."
Bronny James has got huge shoes to fill
Bronny James is the talk of the sports world following his dad's courtside altercation with Stephen A. Smith. LeBron James' oldest son looks exactly like the NBA legend, but many doubt he'll ever even come close to matching his famous father's achievements. Smith is one of the leading voices questioning the 20-year-old's skills, and he's vocal about his opinion on why he believes Bronny is playing for one of the USA's premier teams. Smith's views have not gone down well with the James camp. And his case wasn't helped by an "intervention" interview with "First Take" in January 2025.
"I am pleading with LeBron James as a father. Stop this. Stop this," Smith said. "We all know Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, the opening night, the groupies in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game, first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story," he continued before concluding Bronny just isn't talented enough to play at that level. Ouch.
Undoubtedly, the young athlete is aware of the intense pressure he's under to live up to his dad's rep. Bronny admits to having mixed feelings about playing alongside his father. Still, he's confident that ultimately he will succeed, and in the meantime, he'll block out detractors' chatter. "I've been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It's nothing different ... I'll get through it," Bronny told reporters in July 2024.