Bronny James has faced quite the heat since joining the NBA. And some NBA stars seem to be done with the criticism against him. It’s no secret that the backlash from a certain section of fans and experts started as soon as the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James. However, more recently it has been fueled by the younger James’ subpar performances.

Among one such critique was Stephen A. Smith just last month when LeBron James’ 20-year-old son received extended play time during a game with the LA Lakers. For those who missed it, Bronny had his longest stretch of playing time with the Lakers when they faced the Philadelphia 76ers on January 28. He logged over 15 minutes on the floor, but it wasn’t his best night. The Lakers ended up on the wrong side of a double-digit loss.

That performance led to some harsh words from Smith, who took things a step further by pleading to LeBron James “as a father” to put an end to what he saw as an unfair push for Bronny to be in the NBA. In other words, Smith didn’t think the younger James was ready for the big stage.

Seemingly hitting back at Smith is Richard Jefferson after younger James’ recent G League performance with the South Bay Lakers. “I beg you as a father, keep grinding and don’t listen to the BS,” Jefferson wrote on X.

Let’s face it—this feels like a direct clapback at Stephen A.’s comments from last month. All because Bronny’s latest G League performance tells a different story from what has been so far. Suiting up for the South Bay Lakers, he looked like the best player on the floor against the Valley Suns. He finished with a game-high 28 points, shooting an efficient 12-of-23, including three shots from beyond the arc. That’s the kind of performance that makes critics rethink their words.

But it wasn’t just about the scoring—Bronny was all over the stat sheet. He grabbed six rebounds, dished out two assists, and even swiped a steal, proving he’s starting to settle into his game.

If you’ve been following Bronny’s G League journey, you know it hasn’t been smooth sailing. His debut against the Salt Lake City Stars in November saw him struggle, scoring just six points on inefficient shooting. The rough patch continued in the following games, leaving plenty of room for doubters to question if he truly belonged.

But now he’s flipping the script. With three 23-plus-point performances in his last four games, he has shown real progress. And with Richard Jefferson stepping in to defend him, it looks like Bronny is gaining more than just confidence—he’s gaining believers. However, Stephen A. Smith’s allegations are not coming out of thin air. More recently even Gilbert Arenas hinted something similar.

Was Bronny James behind Dalton Knecht’s trade from the Lakers?

After pulling off a blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, the Lakers made another surprising move just hours before the trade deadline. They shipped rookie Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for 23-year-old center Mark Williams. And, of course, Gilbert Arenas had something to say about it.

In classic Arenas fashion, Arenas hopped on X to drop a hilarious reaction, comparing the Lakers’ move to taking out the trash. He even used a video of a sanitation worker tossing garbage into a truck and threw young James into the mix, captioning it, “Bronny cleaning out Knecht Lakers locker for Mark Williams.”

Now, let’s be real—calling Knecht trash is just wild. The guy has been one of the Lakers’ most reliable young players, suiting up for all 48 games and averaging 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. He was doing his job, and doing it well. So why did Arenas drag Bronny into this? Maybe because both he and Knecht are rookies. And the Lakers might not have the space to develop them at the same time. Knecht was playing 20.7 minutes per game, while Bronny James was barely getting 4 MPG. The move could be about shifting priorities.

At the end of the day, Arenas was just joking, but this hinted at how LeBron James controls things in the Lakers. Something that Stephen A. Smith pointed out and seemingly got an earful from Richard Jefferson.