Stephen Jackson, a former NBA player, quickly came to the defense of Bronny James after an NBA player criticized the USC basketball player’s connection to LeBron James. Jackson took an unnecessary dig at NBA guard Austin Rivers, who had commented on the potential challenges Bronny might face playing in the shadow of his father. Rivers drew from his own experience of playing for his father, NBA coach Doc Rivers, and expressed his reservations about it. However, Rivers’ comments were not meant to criticize Bronny’s skills on the court. It is clear that Bronny already faces immense pressure to live up to the hype surrounding his father. Despite his fiery response, Jackson’s criticism of Rivers did not resonate.
Stephen Jackson, who co-hosts a podcast on culture and basketball with former NBA forward Matt Barnes, is known for his provocative takes and reactionary commentary. However, in this instance, Jackson missed the mark with his harsh critique of Austin Rivers. It is worth noting that Rivers had an impressive college career, which makes Jackson’s criticism seem unfounded.
It is not controversial to suggest that Bronny will not achieve the same level of success in college as Austin Rivers did. Rivers was selected as the 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, whereas Bronny’s early projections place him outside the top 20 picks.
This week has been filled with controversy for the hosts of the podcast “All the Smoke.” Matt Barnes faced backlash after being involved in an altercation with a high school student announcer, which spilled over from the weekend into the following week.
Alejandro Avila, a Southern California resident and former news reporter for the LA Football Network, is known for his expertise on Jeopardy and his grumpy demeanor as a sports fan. He is also notorious for having watched every movie and having an insatiable sweet tooth.