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‘He gon’ get strays because of you': Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith blame LeBron James for Bronny's media ridicule
Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith point fingers at LeBron James for Bronny's media scrutiny. Want to delve deeper? Read more.
The latest NBA draft speculation regarding Bronny James, the son of Lebron James, sparked the latter's displeasure.
Bronny James, who started his freshman season at USC amid immense anticipation, was expected by some analysts to be an early exit and a 2024 NBA lottery pick. However, his first inconsistent season at USC and a summer cardiac arrest have led to a reconsideration of his draft status.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN omitted James from the 2024 NBA draft and projected him as the No. 39 pick in his initial 2025 mock draft. This has triggered speculations about whether James will be returning to USC for his sophomore season.
The mounting negativity ignited by these predictions led LeBron James, the senior James, to reprimand the media through now-deleted posts on a social media platform, previously known as Twitter.
His message was straightforward: let the young player enjoy college basketball, and his work and results will speak for themselves. He emphasized that Bronny James cares little about mock draft predictions; he focuses on working and earning his achievements.
However, LeBron James faced backlash for his perceived hypocrisy; he had previously touted his son's high-level basketball performance and even implied that Bronny could play for the Lakers anytime.
Now that his son's progress at USC is not meeting the high bar set by LeBron, the senior James is retreating from his previous statements and scolding draft analysts for creating unrealistic expectations.
Even Shannon Sharpe, an ESPN analyst, argues that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar must share some blame for the criticism directed at the college player.
Sharpe articulated, "Father-son comparisons were inevitable. Yet, LeBron needs to proceed with caution. When Bronny performs well and you declare, 'He's superior to some NBA players,' people will remember that claim.
I comprehend that Bronny is his child. Nevertheless, LeBron needs to bear this in mind because people will question, 'How can a high school student compete at the NBA level?
It's a claim that being as good as NBA players in high school could have been applied accurately to LeBron himself. However, since Bronny lacks his father’s size and athletic prowess, it's a different scenario."
“He gon’ get strays because of you.”
Stephen A. Smith's Criticism of LeBron James' Role in Bronny's Mock Draft Elimination
Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN commentator, notably criticized LeBron after the mock draft disregarded him.
"All of it, all of it is his fault," Smith stated straightforwardly on First Take. "Bronny James, the youngster, has done nothing but toil and attempt to excel in this game. Any attention he gets, it's all thanks to his father."
Smith continued his tirade against the older James for fostering exaggerated hype about the freshman aged 19.
"You're LeBron James. When you express your desire to accompany him, your willingness to play alongside him, and your readiness to join any NBA team that signs him, acknowledging LeBron James's influence and power, makes others question whether they would draft Bronny James just to acquire LeBron James aged 40 or 41," he remarked.
Concerning LeBron's reactions to Bronny's omission from the mock draft, Smith vehemently denied any sympathy. "You want to post about people needing to leave your son alone? You're the reason for that. Every criticism coming at Bronny is entirely and completely, LeBron's responsibility," he concluded. "I'm just saying, accept it. It's not the media; it's you," Smith added.
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