Bronny James was dropped from ESPN’s 2024 mock draft and included in their 2025 mock. This brought out a now-deleted response from his father LeBron James in a social media post asking everyone to leave his son alone.
James Sr. said that his son’s work on the court would do the talking for his draft stock. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has put the blame completely on James Sr. for the unnecessary attention his son is put through.
Talking about the subject on the show First Take, Stephen A. Smith did not hesitate to call out LeBron James for all the attention his son is facing. Smith said;
That this is all his fault. All of it......When we get to Bronny James, that kid has done nothing... but work hard try to get on his game. Any attention that he's warranted has been because of his daddy, 'I wanna play with my son'.
Smith added that James Sr.’s wife Savannah James has mentioned that she only wants her son healthy and happy. But James Sr. has been fanning the media attention on his son.
Moreover, Stephen A. Smith added that the attention Bronny James is receiving is primarily because of his Los Angeles Lakers superstar father, as he continued;
You're gonna tweet about folks needing to leave your son alone? You did that...LeBron is entirely and completely culpable for any kind of critique coming in Bronny's direction at this juncture. Own it. It's you. It's not the media. That's LeBron.
According to Smith, James Jr. does not engage with the media, nor does he claim anything anywhere. If LeBron James eases off the media attention, it would help his son in a major way.
Bronny James is not expected to be drafted this year due to his low averages and his heart condition. The cardiac arrest has sparked questions about James Jr.’s long-term health.
What Stephen A. Smith wants LeBron James and Bronny James to do going forward
The aftermath of the 2024 mock draft exclusion is what everyone feared heading into the closing stages of the college regular season. Bronny James has not lived up to his high school expectations. He is still an elite 3-and-D player, but it hasn’t shown up this year. Add to that his cardiac arrest which raised questions about his health.
Stephen A. Smith wants Bronny James to focus on building his stock for the 2025 mock draft (Image via USC/X)
Stephen A. Smith wants James Jr. to keep his head down and win back those critics with his play. Smith would prefer if his father would stop talking about his son and his entry into the NBA. Consequently, the noise will only add to the criticism. James Jr. has to get better in his second season at USC. That, along with minimum media attention, will pave the way for a better draft position.
Stephen A. Smith prefers that LeBron James stay away from talking about his son with the media. Correspondingly, his son’s work on the court will make his dream come true next season.
