Just a few weeks after the infamous moment where Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James confronted Stephen A Smith, the longtime NBA personality may have changed his tune on things. James had confronted Smith over his son Bronny James and how Smith was talking about him.
Read more:Stephen A Smith Details What LeBron James Said During Viral Confrontation
It became a big story but the two seemed to cool down the beef between them. Smith had been critical of Bronny for his performance on the court but following a career game from the rookie, Smith is now looking at things in a different light.
Bronny posted a career-high 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, and one block in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a solid game overall for the rookie and he saw rotation minutes due to multiple injuries to the other players on the Lakers.
Read more:Lakers Roster vs Bucks Looks Extremely Bleak Following Injury News
But when discussing the performance of Bronny, Smith spoke about him in a different way. Smith even went as far as to say that he was wrong about the rookie guard.
"I was very impressed, I was very impressed because I saw an elevation in his level of confidence and poise. It didn't really faze him, he didn't look as nervous as he had looked in previous appearances on the basketball court. He looked like somebody that belonged...this is the big picture here that I wanna bring up, I might have been wrong."
The performance by Bronny did shock a lot of people but he finally showed what he could do on the court. Smith, like many others, seemed to be very impressed with the rookie and wanted to give him his flowers.
It likely took a lot from Smith to admit he was wrong. Smith normally sticks to his guns on subjects but he deviated from things on this subject.
Bronny spoke about the performance after the game, saying that his coaching staff helped him prepare for an outing like this.
"Just all the coaches believing in me and continue to put that in my head that they believe in me and what I can do as a player," James said. "I was given an opportunity tonight to go show them what I've been working on while I've been sitting on the bench, in the G League getting reps, stuff like that. Just constantly putting that in my head that they believe in me and that I can contribute."
While Bronny remains a bit away from being a full-time NBA player, this game was certainly encouraging. If he is able to consistently play like this when given minutes, the Lakers would have no choice but to add him to the rotation.
It seems that Bronny could be a rotation player for Los Angeles next year if he continues to improve his game. His progression as the year has gone on has been impressive and the Lakers have to feel good about where he is overall.
More NBA news:
Suns Facing Another Workplace Discrimination Lawsuit: Report
76ers Nightmare Season Continues as Paul George Will Miss Remainder of Season
For more on the Lakers and NBA, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Related Articles
Bucks Injury Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard Status Revealed vs Lakers
Lakers Roster vs Bucks Looks Extremely Bleak Following Injury News
Bucks' Damian Lillard Injury Status Downgraded Ahead of Matchup vs Lakers
How to Watch Nuggets vs Lakers: Live Stream NBA, TV Channel
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 9:19 AM.