Dwyane Wade has a lot of love for LeBron James, but he believes his good friend made a big mistake with his infamous post on X in 2023. When discussing the viral confrontation between James and Stephen A. Smith on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, Wade stated he put a target on Bronny’s back by claiming his son was better than some NBA players.
“Bron is my guy, but Bron did put some extra heat on Bronny,” Wade said. “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 probably wishes deep down that he hadn’t made that post. Bronny was always going to face a lot of scrutiny as he was his son, and that post only made matters worse. The younger James was still just in high school at the time, and there was no need to say it out loud.
That post led to Bronny’s struggles during the Summer League and preseason being amplified, as he had a big target on his back. It was clear that he wasn’t ready to play in the NBA just yet, and that would have been acceptable for any other player who had been selected with the 55th pick of the draft.
Many who go that low need time to develop, but James’ comment meant Bronny wasn’t given a pass for his struggles. That might have been the case even if LeBron hadn’t made the post, especially with the Los Angeles Lakers drafting Bronny, but putting that out there ensured all the negativity would come his son’s way.
To Bronny’s credit, he has battled through all of that and is now playing at a fairly high level in the G League. The 20-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in the regular season for the South Bay Lakers. Considering he suffered a cardiac arrest less than two years ago, that’s quite impressive.
Getting back to the topic being discussed on the podcast, Wade stated he would have confronted Smith, too, if he were in James’ shoes. He was trying to play both sides there, and understandably so, as he has a good relationship with both men.
Stephen A. Smith Ripped LeBron James For Confronting Him
Smith did not have much to say when James was talking him, but he has been running his mouth in the days after the incident. Smith stated that James confronting him at the game was weak on his part.
“I thought it was weak,” said Stephen A. “I thought it was some bullsh*t — but, in the moment, I knew that I was listening to a father.”
Smith then spoke about the moments leading up to the confrontation and then the incident itself.
“We get there in the first quarter, I’m sitting courtside, I stand up, and then I got my head turned. Then I turned around, and in the third quarter, he walks out of the timeout, and I turn around, and he’s right there. Apparently, LeBron had walked out of the timeout, and I turn around, and he’s right here in my face. He said ‘Yo you gotta stop talking sh*t about my son. You gotta stop f*cking with my son. That’s my son. I was like ‘What?’ and he was like ‘f*ck that!’ And I said, ‘Yo, let’s talk later.’ And he said ‘No f*ck that, f*ck that. You gotta stop f*cking with my son.’ I said, ‘Alright, though.’ And he walked off.”
Smith also reckoned that James had not planned on confronting him. He believes the Lakers star saw Bronny look at him with a sad expression and felt compelled to speak.
Whatever the case may be, James made his feelings on the matter pretty clear. Smith, however, doesn’t believe he did anything wrong in this situation, and he might have some more things to get off his chest later.
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