Stephen A. Smith claimed LeBron James was doing a disservice to his son Bronny James by allowing him to play and struggle Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 118-104 to the 76ers. Due to the Lakers being shorthanded with a number of injuries, Bronny was put into the rotation. Most of the game, however. wasn’t very competitive. The 76ers maintained a double-digit lead throughout, and the Lakers committed 22 turnovers compared to just nine from the Sixers.

Bronny, like pretty much everyone else that night, struggled. In 15 minutes of play, he shot 0 for 5 from the field, with three rebounds and three turnovers.

The 20-year-old was selected by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The pick proved to be a source of contention, with critics accusing the Lakers of nepotism and only drafting Bronny because he’s LeBron’s son. Those critics also argued that Bronny took a roster spot that other more deserving players should have.

On Wednesday’s episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith suggested that Bronny’s latest performance would only fuel that narrative.

“I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father,” Smith said. “Stop this. 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; but he’s LeBron James’s son and everybody knows what attention that brings.

“Right now, Bronny James is averaging 0.3 points, 0.3 assist, and 0.4 rebounds [per game]. You know what people are saying. You know what they’re gonna do to this kid,” he continued. “In 13 games, he has played 44 minutes. He has scored 4 points. He is shooting 1 of 16 from the field, 0 for 7 from 3-point range. How are you doing him favors? We know that he’s not ready yet! And I’m saying this with compassion.”

As Smith mentioned, Bronny has been playing well in the NBA G League. In three regular season games with the South Bay Lakers, Bronny averaged 23 points per game, six rebounds per game, and five assists per game. Additionally, Bronny shot 45.8% from 3-point range on eight attempts per game.

Watch above via ESPN