Stephen A. Smith Applauds Bronny James Bouncing Back From Cardiac Arrest to Being Drafted to the NBA

Outspoken ESPN star analyst Stephen A. Smith has entered the chat. Amid Bronny James’ barrage of criticism and negative opinions since the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, many fans and media members argue that he doesn’t belong in the NBA. They attribute his selection to nepotism because his father, LeBron James, is one of the league’s most influential players. Yea, yea, yea. They don’t know the half of nepotism in American sports, which has existed since basketball was invented. 

Stephen A. Smith took a different approach to discussing LeBron’s eldest son.

The First Take host reminded everyone of the severe challenges Bronny faced just a year ago when he suffered cardiac arrest during a USC Trojans practice. He emphasized the significance of Bronny’s achievement, considering grave concerns about his overall future at that time.

“We didn’t know what his status was, we didn’t know what his health was like,” Smith said on his show. “We didn’t know whether or not he’d be able to play basketball again. And I remember when we first heard it that we didn’t know if he was going to survive.”

Fortunately, Bronny survived against the odds of having a professional basketball future and returned for the latter part of USC’s 2023-24 season, gradually increasing his role as he regained his form.

Whether or not his draft selection was merited remains to be proven, but the fact that Bronny recovered and reached a position to be drafted is noteworthy. Time will tell how successful he will be in the NBA and how long his career will last, but for now, we can celebrate that he is living his dream after facing such a daunting challenge just a year ago—big facts. The post Stephen A. Smith Applauds Bronny James Bouncing Back From Cardiac Arrest to Being Drafted to the NBA first appeared on The Source.The post Stephen A. Smith Applauds Bronny James Bouncing Back From Cardiac Arrest to Being Drafted to the NBA appeared first on The Source.