In 2023, LeBron James confessed that he would like to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny James, who had just committed to play college basketball for the USC Trojans. The comments by the Lakers star stirred deep interest in Bronny’s career as he struggled to recover from a cardiac arrest incident in time to be drafted in the 2024 draft class.
Ultimately, Bronny was picked No. 55 overall by his father’s team, and the duo got to play together, although the scrutiny around his son continued unabated.
When LeBron James Got Kiyan Anthony-Shaped Advice From ESPN Analyst
During a November 2024 segment of the “Stephen A. Smith” show, the ESPN analyst blamed the elder James for putting pressure on his son with his comments before he got to the league.
“LeBron publicly stated that he wanted to play with his son in the NBA and then publicly made it happen,” Smith said. “So as a result, the criticism that has come Bronny’s way has been excessive and it has been unfair and it has been cruel. But who instigated it? It was LeBron. LeBron, pun intended, all he had to do was be mellow [Melo].”
Smith further advised LeBron to help his son improve his game and take the approach that former NBA star Carmelo Anthony took (of not commenting on his son), Syracuse Orange standout Kiyan Anthony’s career.
“All of these months, we’ve been hearing Bronny James, Bronny James, Bronny James. When have you heard about Kiyan, particularly out of the mouth of Carmelo Anthony?” Smith said.
“A matter of fact, when you heard Carmelo Anthony, you know what you heard from Carmelo Anthony? When people were asking him whether his son was going to go pro or not a few months ago, he said, ‘I don’t wanna hear that s**t.’ He said that brother got to get on his game, be on his grind and figure out what college he’s going to go to.”
Despite choosing to commit to Syracuse, where his father is a legend after leading the Orange to a national championship in 2003, Kiyan revealed that Carmelo Anthony did not pressure him to choose his alma mater. The 18-year-old recently had a stellar 15-point outing in his collegiate debut against the Binghamton Bearcats.
As a result of additional comments about Bronny’s NBA career being solely due to his father’s influence by Smith in January, the ESPN analyst was publicly confronted by LeBron during the Lakers’ matchup against the Knicks on March 6, in a moment that went viral.