Questioning LeBron James’ Parenting Skills Would Land Stephen A. Smith in Trouble, says DJ Envy

LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith's back-and-forth started after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar confronted the ESPN analyst.

Questioning LeBron James’ Parenting Skills Would Land Stephen A. Smith in Trouble, says DJ Envy

Stephen A. Smith's slander of LeBron James' parental skills was unnecessary, says DJ Envy (Image via FirstSportz)

After spending 22 seasons in the NBA, few have started a war of words with LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is exceptionally good at avoiding controversy, yet sometimes is forced to enter a discourse if he believes he has to clear his name.

His past back-and-forth battles with Charles Barkley became ugly, especially with then-Cleveland Cavaliers superstar bringing up the Hall of Famer’s history of aggressive responses towards fans and the media. The most recent was when James confronted Stephen A. Smith about comments the ESPN analyst had made about his son.

Smith soon started to paint James in a negative light. To counter this, the 40-year-old father of three trolled Smith. Those mocking remarks triggered the 57-year-old New Yorker, and he questioned James’ character by pointing out some glaring mistakes.

He later apologized for bringing up a sensitive matter, but has not stopped trying to belittle James. Now, even though the discourse is over, DJ Envy believes Stephen A. Smith got it wrong, especially when he questioned James’ parenting skills.

I feel like you’ve got to watch your tone and watch your mouth when you talk about somebody as a parent. If you feel that Bronny is not good enough, doesn’t score enough,…. that’s fine, that’s part of the game. That’s what you are supposed to do, you are an analyst. But when you start breaking down who a parent is, who a father is, that’s when its a problem.

DJ Envy on The Big Podcast with Shaq

DJ Envy believes every person will fight for their respective family. If it were him facing that fire, he would have fought the person making those remarks. He believes Stephen A. Smith would have landed in trouble if it were anyone else.

LeBron James slander will continue at least until he retires

LeBron James is taking time this offseason to decide if he wants to continue playing. He is 40 and has a lot of miles on his body. If he decides to continue playing, it will be to try and win a fifth title, but he knows all too well there are no guarantees of winning it.

His $52 million player option is looked at as a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers, as without it, they could have had an easier time making moves. He is aware of that, but might not opt out and sign a minimum deal, knowing what he brings to the franchise.

That also means that many will continue to slander him for earning that much money, especially considering he is a billionaire. They will also make excuses to point at the Akron native as the reason for the Lakers’ struggles. That is what he has been receiving for much of his career, and at age 41, it will not be any different.

Bronny James could see more minutes next season

Whether LeBron James plays next season is a question that will only be answered over the next few months. But it is a sure thing that his son and Los Angeles Lakers teammate Bronny James will be playing for the team.

Bronny James might play alongside LeBron James a lot more next season
Bronny James might play alongside LeBron James a lot more next season (Image via Open Source/X)

Last season, he spent a lot of his time developing his game in the G-League. As the season progressed, he managed to excel and also had a stellar game for the senior team against a fully stacked Milwaukee Bucks. All of this has given the Lakers’ top brass a lot of confidence.

There is a chance that head coach JJ Redick will bring in Bronny James more than just in garbage time. The USC alum has displayed improvements in defense, scoring, as well as playmaking, which makes him a valuable rotational piece. James Jr. is on the rise, and the Lakers might boost his development over the summer.

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