Stephen A. Smith Begs LeBron To Stop Letting Bronny Play

You know it's bad when even Stephen A. Smith won't support LeBron James trying to push his son Bronny as an NBA player anymore.

"I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this," Smith screamed on ESPN's First Take.

BRONNY NEEDS TO SPEND A LONG TIME IN THE G LEAGUE

The always outspoken Stephen A. then went on a two-minute rant about why Bronny just isn't working out for the Lakers, and ultimately it comes down to his father - who pushed for the Lakers to sign him in the first place, to intervene and stop this mess from continuing on.

"I am really trying to be as respectful as I can to LeBron James… but I am pleading to LeBron James as a father, to just stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad… [it was] an absolutely positive situation, but then reality stepped in," Smith continued.

"I am rooting for Bronny James… I wish him nothing but the best, but he is LeBron James' son and everyone knows what attention that brings," Stephen A says before then getting into the heart of Bronny's criticism - the stats simply show that he can not handle the NBA.

In 13 games, Bronny James has played 44 minutes and scored 4 points while shooting 1 for 16 from the field, and is 0 of 7 from 3-point range. That breaks down to a pathetically dismal 0.3 points per game as well as 0.3 assists per game.

"How are you doing him any favors? If we know that he's not ready yet…[surely LeBron does too]," Smith continued yelling.

Good for Stephen A. for finally coming around as to what many of us said from the beginning - the only reason the Lakers drafted Bronny was because LeBron made them. For all the people that tried defending Bronny, who by all accounts is a nice kid and is absolutely not to blame for being thrown into the spotlight and essentially being used as his father's pawn, the skill set simply did not match up to the task at hand.

Was it cool for the father and son duo to play an NBA game together? Yes. But after a stint in the G League, head coach J.J. Reddick and the Lakers inexplicably brought him back up to not only be on the team, but actually have him play in the game! It's not like Bronny is riding the bench the whole time.

It's a rather ironic situation to be honest, because one of the reasons Bronny is playing lately is because the team is dealing with so many injuries and barely have any depth. Who's at fault for that? LeBron James for making the team draft his son instead of giving them at least a formidable option with last year's 55th draft pick.

Written by
Mike “Gunz” Gunzelman has been involved in the sports and media industry for over a decade. He’s also a risk taker - the first time he ever had sushi was from a Duane Reade in Penn Station in NYC.