Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has raised serious allegations against LeBron James, accusing him of manipulating his son Bronny’s draft stock to facilitate his selection by the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
Despite a lackluster collegiate debut with USC, where he posted modest statistics, Bronny has opted to enter this year’s draft.
Initially projected as the 98th prospect, Bronny’s draft stock saw a remarkable surge to 54th following his performance at the NBA Draft Combine, conveniently aligning with the Lakers’ 55th pick.
Smith contends that these developments appear orchestrated to justify the Lakers drafting Bronny and fulfill LeBron’s aspiration of sharing the court with his son.
In a recent statement, Smith expressed skepticism, highlighting the suspicious timing of Bronny’s rise in the draft rankings and its proximity to the Lakers’ draft position.
He emphasized that such maneuvers invite cynicism and skepticism, casting an unfair shadow over Bronny, who has done nothing to warrant such scrutiny.
“All I’m saying is that what I would implore LeBron James to be careful about is that so much of what’s transpiring seems so transparent, it’s insulting,” Smith said. “You have a situation where Bronny James is projected as ranked 98th on the talent pool. He goes to the NBA Combine, Molly, and it drops 44 slots to 54. And the Lakers have the 55th pick in the second round. I mean, really?
“He didn’t drop 38 slots… he didn’t drop 50 slots… oh no, right around the number where the Lakers get the pick. In other words, so if we pick him, it’s justified because look, he had him ranked 54 and we had the 55th pick. I mean, come on man…
“I look at Bronny James and I’m like, man, I’m rooting for this kid, great kid, wish him nothing but the best. Wonderful family, wonderful kid, all of that other stuff. But when stuff like that happens, it just invites cynicism and skepticism and that’s totally unfair to that kid because he did nothing to warrant that.”
Smith further criticized LeBron’s actions, citing his involvement in starting a podcast with former player JJ Redick while Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was under scrutiny.
LeBron’s podcast, “Mind the Game,” delved into basketball strategy and analysis, coinciding with Ham’s precarious position.
Following Ham’s dismissal, Redick emerged as a leading candidate for the coaching role, prompting Smith to question LeBron’s influence in the Lakers’ coaching decisions.
“Just to reiterate my point,” Smith continued. “You could have started the podcast with JJ in the offseason after the Lakers moved on from Darvin Ham. Oh no, you’re going to start the podcast on basketball, ‘Mind the Game,’ while Darvin Ham is on the hot seat. Talking schematics, talking Xs and Os and all of this other stuff.
“Then Darvin Ham gets fired and after that JJ Redick emerges as the top candidate for the job, even though that’s not etched in stone. And LeBron wants us to say he had nothing to do with it.
“As I said on the air the other day, I guess one plus one does equal four… You can’t make this stuff up. At some point in time, it’s like too much looks too damn obvious.”
