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Stephen A. Smith isn’t quite ready to admit he was wrong about Bronny James.
But the ESPN personality did lay the groundwork for such an admission on “First Take” the morning after the son and teammate of Lakers superstar LeBron James played his best NBA game.
Two weeks earlier, after Smith was confronted by an angry James over comments the TV analyst had made about his son, Smith had taken to the same airwaves to assert that he wasn’t being disrespectful in saying he felt Bronny James belonged in the G League as a rookie.
On Friday, however, Smith told viewers, “I might have been wrong” about Bronny James’ NBA potential this season.
Read more: Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James confronting him was ‘weak’: ‘I was talking about you,’ not Bronny
That acknowledgment came after Bronny James stepped up in the absence of a multitude of his teammates — including his father, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith — against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The result of the game might have been a blowout loss for the Lakers, but Bronny James had a breakthrough performance. His 17 points and five assists in 30 minutes were all career highs, and his three rebounds tied his NBA best.
“I was very impressed,” Smith said of Bronny James’ performance. “I was very impressed because I saw an elevation in his level of confidence and poise. It was like it didn’t really faze him. He didn’t look as nervous as he had looked in previous appearances on the basketball court. He looked like somebody that belonged. …
“There were some moves that he put out on the court — ball-handling skills, getting to the basket, finishing at the basket, pulling up for jumpers, hitting a three, 17 points, 7-of-10 shooting from the field — I was impressed.”
He added: “And if that kind of stuff continues, then indeed he’ll be in the league as a bonafide player sooner than later. One game doesn’t make that determination. You need to do more than that. But I wanted to make sure I emphasized that point.”
Smith was sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena for the Lakers-Knicks game March 6 when James approached him during a timeout and angrily addressed him face to face. Smith said the next day that James had come up to him “to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son.”
Read more: Bronny James credits focus on his game for career-best 17 points during loss to Bucks
On Friday, Smith reiterated what he has said numerous times since the incident, that he had never disrespected Bronny James.
“But I did believe that he belonged in the G League to get himself honed for the NBA level,” Smith said. “What may have been wrong about that is that evidently being around JJ Redick and that staff and being around Pops and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers — combined with the G League, going back and forth — may be doing wonders for him sooner than we anticipated. Because 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 going to say so. That’s what happens with 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. I hope it continues. I believe it will.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.