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Bronny James’ NBA career hasn’t necessarily gotten off to a flying start as the rookie is average 0.3 points, 0.4 rebound, and 0.3 assists per game. Things are looking so bad with Bronny that Stephen A. Smith released begged LeBron to stop putting him out there.
While LeBron James is neither the owner, general manager, or coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the entire NBA world understands that he’s the one responsible for the Lakers drafting Bronny James and giving him playing time.
In the Lakers’ 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Bronny came off the bench for Los Angeles and played for 15 mins. In his 15 minutes on the floor, he scored zero points, had one assist and three rebounds.
Bronny’s performance against the 76ers was so noticeably poor that Stephen A. Smith went on First Take the following morning and virtually begged LeBron to stop putting his son out there. Smith argues that LeBron isn’t helping his son by having him play before he’s ready.
“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story. And then reality sets in. We love what we’re seeing from him in the G League because that’s where you belong as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn—which I believe he has the potential to do, I am rooting for Bronny James. It would be cruel to root against him. He’s a wonderful kid, I wish him nothing but the best,” Smith said.
“But he’s LeBron James’s son. And everybody knows what attention that brings … Right now Bronny James is averaging 0.3 points, 0.3 assists and 0.4 rebounds. You know what people are saying. You know what they’re going to do to this kid. How are you doing him favors? We know that he’s not ready yet.”
“I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this.” 😳 @stephenasmith reacts to Bronny James’ play in the Lakers 118-104 loss to the 76ers. pic.twitter.com/bk5D0DS42N
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 29, 2025
Bronny James has shown some promise in the G League this season, as he’s averaged 16.3 points, 4.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game across seven G League games. In 13 NBA games, howeer, he’s average 0.3 points, 0.3 assists, and 0.4 rebounds per game.