“I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father: Stop this! Stop this!” Stephen A. Smith did not hold back after Bronny James went scoreless against the Sixers on Tuesday despite getting an opportunity to play in the first quarter. Doubling down on the criticism, the ESPN analyst claimed that Bronny is only in the NBA because of his dad and belongs in the G League instead. But the rookie finally got redemption tonight during the Wizards clash as his impressive move even brought the opposing team’s crowd on their feet. And it gave LBJ’s ‘brother’ Rui Hachimura, a chance to detail Bronny’s struggles and how he has conquered them.

The highlight play occurred in the closing minutes of the game. Attacking the rim aggressively, Bronny drove to the basket and finished a tough And-1 layup through contact over big man Tristan Vukcevic. Obviously, Daddy James was filled with pride and could not hold back his smile. While the whole arena was buzzing after the made bucket, Hachimura went straight to LBJ to celebrate with him and put him in a headlock, as both players shared the joyous moment. Adding icing on the cake, the rookie also converted the resulting free throw, successfully completing the three-point play. And LeBron continued to clap and smile on the sidelines like a proud dad.

Addressing the wholesome sequence after the game, Hachimura said, “You guys have no idea how much Bron care about Bronny you know… I have been working out with him you know two years, three years whatever in the summer when Bronny was struggling with his physical you know. I was with him. I was actually with them and just being around how much Bron was trying to take care of him and how much he cares about him.”

Of course, James family went through an extremely difficult time after Bronny suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during practice two years ago. And there were even concerns around if he would ever be able to hoop again. But the Lakers rookie and his family overcame those challenges, and now, Bronny is living his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. So, Rui understood the emotions LeBron was going through when his son received the crowd’s appreciation tonight, “I knew he wanted that so bad. As soon as he scored, he was trying to hold it little bit, so that’s why I was like ‘Come on bro.’ He’s my big brother, so of course I was happy about it. Yeah, it was a great moment for sure.”

Was Bronny James’ performance against Wizards enough to silence Stephen A. Smith?

Well, the rookie played much better tonight than he did on Tuesday. Apart from the tough bucket, he finished with 5 points, two rebounds, and two assists. That too in fewer minutes than the previous game. Moreover, Bronny has been extremely impressive in his G League appearances. Just last week, he went off for a career-high 31 points against the Rip City Remix. He also had multiple highlight dunks that went viral on social media.

But while Stephen A.’s words were harsh, he might not be completely wrong about Bronny not being ready for the big leagues. His G League game has failed to translate to the NBA as he has struggled to score points even during garbage minutes. Obviously, tonight being an exception. However, even the basketball pundit has faith in the rookie to get over the hump if he continues to work on his game, “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.”

Well, Bronny proved his resilience during his recovery from the cardiac arrest. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and silence critics like Stephen A. by putting up more impressive performances like tonight. Do you think he can do it?