The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks in a thrilling encounter. The overtime game had enthralling moments that dazzled the crowd. Luka Doncic hitting a three over KAT in overtime or even LeBron James’ clutch shots in the fourth quarter. However, that didn’t catch the spotlight as much as a “confrontation” did after the game.

Aside from Spike Lee wearing a Knicks hat, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was also present courtside to watch the game. And over the past week, he has had some indirect exchanges with LeBron James. From saying his comments about not wanting to be the face of the league were unfair to him declaring him the GOAT after reaching 50k points, it’s been an entire circle. However, when the Akron Hammer noticed him courtside, it wasn’t a pleasant meeting.

From a video that went viral, it seemed to be a stand-off. James was agitated. The lip readers saw him warning the ESPN analyst to not speak about his son, and they were right. “It was all about his son,” Smith confirmed on First Take. The 57-year-old wanted to avoid confrontation in that setting.

But he didn’t mind speaking about it on First Take. Rather than a charged rant, this time Stephen A. Smith seemed contained. He didn’t accuse LeBron James of being wrong. However, he did justify his side of things. “I would have said to LeBron James I never would speak negatively about your son. I was talking about, meaning you LeBron James,” Smith said.

The analyst clarified he wishes for only great things for the 20-year-old Bronny James. What he does take exception to is the way James may have potentially put a target on his son’s back.

“He also had said his son can play on the Lakers right now. He’s better than half the dudes in the NBA. The aftermath of all of this he instructed everybody before the draft if you all want me draft Bronny. Wherever Bronny is at that’s where I will be. I will do whatever it takes to play with my son. It’s not about the money at that point. My point months ago is that because of who you are, one of the top 2 players in the history of basketball in my estimation is an immense amount of pressure that comes with that for his son,” Smith explained.

The situation itself is complicated. As a father, LeBron James has the right to protect his son. On the other hand, Smith’s comments haven’t been aimed at bringing Bronny James down. But they also haven’t necessarily been encouraging towards the Lakers rookie.

Stephen A. Smith isn’t so innocent in regards to Bronny James

Stephen A. Smith may not have directly targeted Bronny James. But he isn’t as innocent either. From the beginning, he did keep a stance of not wanting to speak about the Lakers rookie. However, the father-son pairing was such a huge storyline that it made its way into the limelight. That compelled Smith to speak about it.

And on the various occasions that he has, his tone has matched up with most who have spoken about the USC product. “I think he’s going to be fine eventually. But that’s not the case yet. And because it’s not the case yet, and then you see some of these numbers, I do find myself looking at LeBron James instead of Bronny James because LeBron is the basketball savant,” Smith said on one of the episodes of his show.

He’s never mentioned Bronny James to be a bad basketball player. However, he has called LeBron James ‘sensitive’. Not only that, but he has also flirted with another popular notion. “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,” he said on First Take after the 20-year-old failed to perform against the Philadelphia 7ers.

And it isn’t that Stephen A. Smith isn’t entitled to an opinion. He is very much in the right to judge Bronny’s performances or even have his take on how he hasn’t performed up to an acceptable standard. At the same time, it isn’t acceptable to dismiss the work he has put in before getting into the NBA.

Remember, this is the same guy who said LeBron James has earned the opportunity to play beside his son. As far as the pressure of being in the league with his father, that was always going to be there. Even if James was drafted to another team, that would have been a major narrative.

The problem, though, is playing both sides. If Smith is fine with LeBron James potentially using his influence, then that should be the end of the discussion. This isn’t to say James did use his powers to do so. That is only down to speculation. However, as a voice that can devise opinions, Stephen A. Smith needs to be more careful with what he says about Bronny James.

Bringing up LeBron James each time only fuels the already tremendous pressure that exists. Moreover, it leads to a wave of people further criticizing Bronny James, saying he doesn’t deserve an NBA spot. As far as I can see, the 20-year-old is working his way. He’s spending time in the G-League, not using his father’s disposition and looking to carve out his own path, just as Smith wants for the young guard.

What needs to stop, though, is mentioning him and his father as if they come hand-in-hand. At this point, his development is the focus for the Lakers. And in the G-League, Bronny is thriving, slowly building up his confidence. As mentioned beforehand, analyzing and critiquing him as a player wouldn’t be wrong. But adding gasoline to a narrative that brings LeBron James’ son down was bound to bring a father’s fury.

From what was visible, that’s exactly what happened.