Colin Cowherd is conflicted following a courtside encounter between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith.

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Last week, James confronted Smith at Thursday’s Los Angeles Lakers game. Recounting the situation on First Take, Smith said the NBA’s all-time leading scorer admonished the ESPN personality about comments regarding his son, Bronny James.

Smith had previously claimed Klutch Sports representatives reached out to him after he said, “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

On his podcast, which aired Sunday, Cowherd said he decided not to discuss the topic on his show because the Fox Sports personality understood both sides.

As a father relieved his children didn’t follow him into broadcasting, Cowherd understood LeBron defending Bronny. However, he doesn’t think the 20-year-old rookie is off limits.

“I think LeBron James, in his mind, is doing the right thing,” Cowherd said (h/t Awful Announcing). “‘Don’t badmouth my son.’

But I’ve seen many broadcasters get their kids into broadcasting, and their kids aren’t very good. Some are, some are not. And that’s the reality of a public-facing job … You have an $8 million contract, you’re fair game. That’s the way it goes.”

Cowherd said Smith “does have a right to be honest about Bronny.” He acknowledged LeBron’s role.

Colin Cowherd at a party

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: Colin Cowherd and Ann Cowherd attend the The Volume Anniversary Party on February 09, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for The Volume )

Jerod Harris/Getty Images for The Volume.

“The minute you made that decision to wedge Bronny onto the Lakers, the most sacred part of sports is the uniform,” Cowherd said. “You gave somebody a uniform, and many questioned whether he is uniform-worthy at the NBA level.”

In a profession founded on hot takes, Cowherd didn’t want to take a definitive stance. He compared the complex situation to international tensions over the United States’ allegiances in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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“Social media has made simplicity the go-to apparatus, and Bronny-Stephen A.-LeBron, I think it’s complicated,” Cowherd said. “I think there’s the dad thing. There’s the history thing. There’s the journalist thing.

“I hated to see it because I love LeBron, and I really like Stephen A. Smith. I like them both. They’re really good at what they do. And I know that’s considered a soft pedal, but that’s how I feel about it.”