From the moment Bronny James was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, all eyes have been on him to see if he can live up to the expectations of competing at an NBA level. However, his early performances have drawn significant criticism. Miami Heat icon and LeBron James‘ close friend, Dwyane Wade, believes that LeBron’s actions have partly contributed to the scrutiny surrounding his son.
Wade specifically pointed to a comment LeBron made in 2023, when the Lakers star declared that Bronny was “definitely better than some NBA players” after the younger James led Sierra Canyon to victory in the CIF Southern California Regional Division 1 quarterfinals.
In a candid discussion with Carmelo Anthony on 7PM in Brooklyn, Wade and the former Knicks star debated LeBron’s recent clash with Stephen A. Smith over the journalist’s comments about Bronny.
“Bron is my guy, but Bron did put some extra heat on Bronny,” Wade admitted. “And when Bron put out that tweet about, ‘He better than these cats in the NBA,’ they checked that. They was like, ‘Oh, okay’”.
James vs. Smith confrontation
Stephen A. Smith has been one of Bronny James’ harshest critics, publicly questioning his readiness for the NBA and even accusing him of benefiting from nepotism. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad,” Smith remarked last month on ESPN’s First Take.
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LeBron responded strongly to these comments following the Lakers’ victory over the Knicks on March 6. The Lakers star directly confronted Smith, saying, “Keep my son out of this s— bro”.
Smith later clarified his position, choosing not to escalate the matter. “I was really, really talking about him because of the position that Bronny was in, but I really understood where he was coming from,” Smith explained. “He was very, very upset. I could tell he could have called me. I’d have came to see him. I’d have had a conversation with him. He could have been just as upset face to face, man to man, as opposed to being courtside of the game”.
Reflecting on the situation, Smith acknowledged LeBron’s perspective while admitting he felt hurt by the ordeal. “If I was in his position, I can’t definitively say I would not have done the same thing”.
Wade weighs in on the issue
Wade, who has always been close to LeBron, offered his perspective on how he would have handled the situation. He revealed that he had a conversation with Stephen A. Smith and empathized with LeBron’s reaction.
“I love both guys,” Wade said in a video shared by TMZ. “I had a conversation with Stephen A. about it and I told him if I was LeBron, I would have walked up on him the same way”.
