Stephen A. Smith ‘always believed’ Bronny James would be a ‘bona fide NBA player’

For everyone who thinks Bronny James proved Stephen A. Smith wrong Thursday night, you’re mistaken.

The younger James silenced some of his critics by leading the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring and assists Thursday night, albeit in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Still, the No. 55 pick scoring 17 points alongside five assists and three rebounds during his rookie season is impressive.

Impressive enough for Stephen A. Smith to say I told you so Friday morning on First Take. Yes, the same Stephen A. Smith who LeBron James confronted during a Lakers game for being too critical of his son. The same Stephen A. Smith who said “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.” That Stephen A. Smith is now hellbent on reminding us he always believed in Bronny’s NBA potential.

“I’ve always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA.” – Stephen A. Smith on Bronny James pic.twitter.com/AhhVSU8ocd

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 21, 2025

“I might have been wrong, are you listening LeBron James? Are you listening James’ family, are you listening Rich Paul, are you listening all you people?” Smith asked. “Because here’s my position. My position was all along that Bronny James needed to be in the G League. Let him be in the G League his first year and then after that let him come on, because I’ve always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA.”

And that’s where Smith admits he might be wrong. Not in his assessment of Bronny’s potential, but in his belief that he needs a full season in the G League. After watching Bronny lead the Lakers in points and assists Thursday night, Smith now admits the younger James might be more NBA ready than initially thought.

“This notion that I was disrespecting his son, it’s a lie. It is false,” Smith insisted. “We have numerous tapes that show I did not do that. But I did believe that he belonged in the G League to get himself honed for the NBA level…I liked what I saw last night. And I’m gonna keep the same energy, when he plays well we gonna give him props. When he doesn’t play well, we’re gonna say so.

“That’s what happens when covering the league. maybe his pops didn’t tell him that, but I’m gonna tell him that. Congrats on a good performance last night…and I believe he’s gonna be an NBA player, a bona fide NBA player a lot sooner than people think.”

The issue is that many fans and media haven’t kept that same energy with other NBA rookies who were drafted in the second round. Bronny is the first No. 55 pick in NBA history to enter the league with any semblance of expectations. And he was certainly the first No. 55 pick in NBA history to be debated about on every sports show.

Sure, a lot of that is on the expectations LeBron placed on him by claiming his son was NBA ready while still in high school. But Bronny hasn’t been given the ability to develop the way other No. 55 picks have been afforded throughout NBA history. Smith might think he’s being consistent in his treatment of Bronny, but the energy he and many other media members have directed toward LeBron’s son is undoubtedly inconsistent with how other second round draft picks are judged.