A Father First, Basketball Player Second: LeBron vs. Stephen A. Smith

During the Lakers vs. Knicks game, the main highlight of that game wasn’t a dunk by LeBron or a step-back 3-pointer by Luka, but Stephen A. Smith being confronted by LeBron James. LeBron James, arguably one of the greatest basketball players to play the game, and Stephen A. Smith, one of the top journalists in the sports media world, had an aggressive exchange of words courtside. LeBron’s first son, LeBron Jr., nicknamed Bronny, was drafted by the Lakers, and let’s just say he’s not his dad. Which is fine; it’s pretty hard to live up to that level of greatness, but he’s just not that good on a professional level at all. Stephen A. is a journalist, so his job is to comment on players, whether they are playing great or poorly, and he has been pretty vocal about Bronny's game not being good. LeBron did not take lightly to that and confronted Smith by telling him to keep his son’s name out of his fucking mouth. Smith understood in the moment that that was a father approaching him, not a basketball player, so he stood down. But he then later in the week went on to speak about how he thought it was an overall weak move. Here are my thoughts on this situation: I agree with both sides. I agree with Stephen A. Smith’s point that at the end of the day, his job is to report on professional athletes; your son is a grown man and a professional athlete, and just because you are LeBron James, that does not make him immune from criticism. LeBron’s nepotism may have gotten his son into the league, but that doesn’t protect him from criticism; therefore, someone calling his son a trash basketball player, he has to understand that comes with the territory, especially if his son is trash, which Bronny is. Now, where I agree with LeBron is that if you want to talk about my son missing shots, that’s fine. If you want to say he’s garbage at basketball, that’s fine; the personal attack on parenting is where the line is drawn. Stephen A. should not be saying things like “What type of father would want this for their son?” or “Imagine how his mother feels watching the highlights.” That’s where the line is absolutely drawn, and Stephen A. crossed that line multiple times. Yes, that’s when LeBron James, the father—not the basketball player—has every right to step up and advocate for his family. We can’t judge men for not protecting their families, but when one does, we also give him pushback.

-Samuel

@samuelshouseofart