Stephen A. Smith Says He Was 'Impressed' With Bronny's 17-Point Performance Against Milwaukee

Stephen A. Smith has seemingly admitted that he was wrong in his assessment of Bronny James after he had an impressive outing against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Friday morning's broadcast of First Take, Smith took time out to say how "impressed" he was by Bronny's performance on Thursday night, where he put up 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 30 minutes of play. It was one of Bronny's more productive nights, and Smith had to acknowledge how much better he looked on the court.

"I was impressed," said Smith. "This is the big picture here that I want to bring up. I might've been wrong. Are you listening LeBron James? Are you listening James family? Are you listening Rich Paul? Are you listening all you people because here's my position. My position all along, Bronny James needed to be in the G League and then after that let him come on because I've always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA."

He continued, "But what I saw last night made me say to myself, 'What a minute. He keeps showing up and playing like that, JJ Redick and his staff obviously doing an exceptional job coaching him. The G Leaguers obviously doing a good job of preparing him, him sitting on the bench learning and watching the Lakers play."

Smith added that if Bronny continues this run, he'll be a "bona fide player sooner than later" but reiterated that one good game won't be enough to determine that fully. He also said he was never "disrespecting" Bronny and that anyone who thought he was doing that was lying.

In addition to that, Smith said any coverage on Bronny will be exactly what it is. If Bronny plays well, Smith will highlight that, and if he plays badly, nothing will change.