Bronny James Proves Stephen A. Smith Wrong With Playoff Performance

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is learning the hard way that sports fans always hold onto receipts.

Despite being shorthanded in the opening round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets. LeBron James led the charge with 29 points, which included the game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation.

James' son, Bronny, had an efficient night for the Lakers, scoring five points on just two shot attempts. Although it sounds absurd, he actually outscored Houston's entire bench.

"The amount of confidence that a young kid in our league can get from a postseason game, … you would never get nervous from a regular season moment ever again when you play meaningful postseason games and postseason minutes," LeBron told reporters. "That's just pretty cool for his career."

After Game 3 of the Lakers-Rockets series came to an end, NBA fans revisited a comment that Smith made in January 2025.

Smith begged LeBron on "First Take" to stop parading Bronny around the NBA.

"I am pleading with LeBron James as a father, stop this," Smith said. "Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad. The first game of the season, opening night, the Griffeys in attendance, father-son duo playing in an NBA game for the first time, an absolutely, positively wonderful story. And then reality sets in. We love what we're seeing from him in the G League because that's where you belong as you hone your skills and you get better and you legitimately earn-which I believe he has the potential to do, 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."

Well, that rant from Smith resurfaced after Bronny went on a quick 5-0 run against the Rockets last night.

Stephen A. Smith changes his stance on LeBron.

Even though Smith has said for a while that he doesn't believe James is the greatest player in NBA history, the Lakers-Rockets series has opened his eyes just a bit.

"I think that even though [Michael Jordan] will always be my GOAT, LeBron James has made the greatest case for GOAT status this year," Smith said. "It's about a guy that's going to be on the Mount Rushmore of basketball for NBA annals, willing to defer himself and being a third option when necessary, a second option when necessary, a number one option when necessary, a center when necessary, a power forward when necessary, a point forward or a point guard."

If James leads the Lakers to the NBA Finals this year, maybe we'll see a change to Smith's all-time rankings.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 5:51 AM.