The public feud between Stephen A. Smith and LeBron James shows no signs of dying after the recent appearance of ESPN's character in popular basketball Podcasts To talk about conflict with NBA superstars.
Smith insists on LeBron I've faced it During the Lakers' home game for criticism directed at his son Bronnie. However, Smith argued that his criticism was always about his role in bringing LeBron's son into the league.
Bronie needs what everyone in a highly competitive field wants: respect.
It's easy to understand why LeBron was upset. He has been the face of the NBA for most of his 20 years. He is a four-time champion and many believe he is the greatest basketball player of all time. He has never been troubled by the law and has maintained his public image as a solid family man throughout his career. Playing for the same team as his son was clearly an important career goal. Especially considering he grew up without a father.
One of the most valuable lessons in life is that experiencing rarity in childhood often drives adult dul. For example, those who have succeeded after growing up poor will give their children all the toys, clothes and gifts they have not received. Most people understand this impulse, but it does not change the reality that children who get everything they want can be spoiled and entitled to quickly become spoiled and entitled. Parents sometimes make good-intentional decisions that hinder the development of their children.
Brony's Challenge
LeBron's place in NBA history is solidified, but the same cannot be said about his son.
Bronie needs what everyone in a highly competitive field wants: respect. That is one thing that his father's wealth cannot be bought. It cannot be secured through social pressure, coercion or intimidation. Even King James cannot leave his eldest son with the legacy he built in the NBA.
Respect must be acquired through the hard work and accomplishment of a person. Without it, Bronnie spends his entire career fighting the perception that he is a privileged child who has taken someone's roster. His opponents use the story to reach under his skin and try hard to embarrass him in court.
No one cheers for Bronnie, but his path to the league and Lakers can only tell sports journalists about his game and the role his father played in securing him a roster spot. It's hard enough to make a physical gift like Zion Williamson and move from a year of college to the NBA a year later. It's even more difficult to argue that freshmen who averaged five points in USC games are ready for professional games.
Parent's instinct
But this problem is bigger than basketball. Talking about the conflict between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith is interesting content, but the whole situation is really about the relationship between a father and son.
The sons begin emulating their father at an early age. They dress and mimic the mannerism. As they get older, some boys go further by trying to walk in the footsteps of their father's professionals. It's hard enough for the average child to do this well. When your father is a global icon that has been at the top of his profession for decades, the challenges are exponentially amplified.
LeBron and Bronnie should have sat down with Denzel Washington and son John David to discuss the challenge of being a son in the shadow of a superstar father. Professional sports and acting aren't the same, but Denzel probably would have been criticized if he had struggled to memorize his lines and pulled his son out of a small community theater that demanded he receive a role on Broadway.
Elder Washington knows that his name and reputation holds a lot of weight. He will also know that once it becomes clear that he is not ready for a big stage, he will publicly pull the strings to help his son. That's because men have to learn how to stand on their own feet. In other words, parental instincts to protect children must be balanced with age-appropriate encouragement for independence, even for adults. Children learn this at a young age. That's why they're ultimately looking at their parents and saying, “I have this, mom.”
The pursuit of independence is an informal rite of passage to masculinity. Anyone who interrupts that pursuit will suspend that pursuit. Fathers don't want to see their sons struggling unnecessarily, but part of raising a child is understanding the role that disability plays a role in building character.
LeBron James has ruled the NBA for 20 years, but Bronnie doesn't feel like a king as long as he is treated like a privileged prince who is constantly in need of protection.
