Stephen A. Smith Eats Crow After Bronny's 17-Point Game, 'I Might've Been Wrong'

Stephen A. Smith has a message for LeBron James after Bronny's 17-point performance ... saying he's not too proud to admit his initial assessment of the Lakers rookie could very well have been off the mark.

The ESPN talent didn't shy from his previous comments about the four-time champion's son on "First Take" Friday ... in fact, he reiterated how he initially thought the 20-year-old needed to spend a year in the G League in order to reach success with the big dogs -- but Thursday's outing has him reconsidering.

Smith said he was "very impressed" with Bronny's contribution in the Lakers' loss to the Bucks ... as he looked like someone who belonged.

"I might've been wrong," Smith said. "Are you listening, LeBron James? Are you listening James family? Are you listening Rich Paul? Are you listening, all you people?"

Smith understands it's going to take a lot more than one game to determine his true value in the Association ... but if he strings together more games like Thursday, his timeline will be sped up in his opinion.

As for his face-to-face feud with King James, Smith said yet again he wasn't being disrespectful with his commentary on Bronny's career ... calling it a "lie" to say he didn't have a future in the league.