“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father – Stop this! Stop this!” Stephen A. Smith did not mince his words after Bronny James had an embarrassing scoreless performance on Tuesday against the Sixers. The analyst was not a fan of the rookie being put on the floor in the crucial first quarter, claiming that he wasn’t ready, and questioned LBJ’s role in the sudden push. Turns out, LeBron’s camp did not appreciate the four-time champ being questioned as a father and contacted Stephen A. about it.

The ESPN veteran revealed on The Stephen A. Smith Show, “A couple of people texted me and pissed me off and they know who they are. People close to LeBron James talking to me about questioning him as a father. Come on y’all.” While he did not take any names, speculations are that it was someone from Klutch Sports, the agency that represents LeBron.

“I mean it’s gotten to a point where this LeBron sensitivity is just beyond appeal.” Smith remarked. Although the analyst has received hate in the past for picking Michael Jordan over LBJ in the GOAT debate, or criticizing LeBron’s bad performances, he believes the Bronny situation trumps them all, “Never before has it been more ridiculous than it is right now because the reality is that we gotta be real about what we’re seeing when we talk about Bronny James.”

Despite hearing from LeBron’s close circle, Stephen A. stood by his original stance, “I think the kid will be in the NBA one day. I think he’s gonna be fine. EVENTUALLY. But that’s not the case yet.” Of course, he put the blame on Daddy James once again, “I do find myself looking at LeBron James instead of Bronny James because LeBron is the basketball savant… So, no matter what we think about Bronny, he knows more… He’s playing in the first quarter of an NBA game. Really? And everybody wants to looks at it like LeBron has nothing to do with that… Come on.”

Is Stephen A. Smith right about Bronny James?

Well, Smith’s frustration is justified because like it or not, Bronny has not looked ready to play in the big leagues yet. Sure, he is having an impressive run in the G League. Just last week, he went off for a career-high 31 points against the Rip City Remix and even had a LeBronesque moment as he threw down a nasty tomahawk dunk over a defender. And this was just one of his many impressive performances.

Unfortunately, his game has not translated to the NBA. In his fourteen appearances so far, Bronny is averaging 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds. And he has missed all his three-point attempts. Even last night against the Wizards, when everyone was buzzing about his tough And-1 bucket over Tristan Vukcevic, everyone forgot that he shot 1 of 6 in the game. Yes, everyone wants to see Bronny succeed. Even Stephen A. Smith, who claimed, “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.” However, claiming he is not ready yet might not be a false notion. Do you agree?