LeBron James can't handle the criticism NASCAR fans all are accustomed to

LeBron James made headlines last week for flipping out on Stephen A. Smith during the Los Angeles Lakers' home overtime win over the New York Knicks, confronting and calling out the polarizing ESPN personality for some of the comments he has made about LeBron's son, 20-year-old Lakers rookie Bronny James.

It all stems from Smith's comments about Bronny being put in a tough situation as he ascended to the NBA, given comments from his father about "the work and results will ultimately do the talking", and other cliches like "earned not given".

As it turns out, and as many expected after his very abbreviated college career at USC, Bronny's subpar performance at the professional level has all but confirmed the nepotism involved in the fact that he was even drafted in last year's NBA Draft.

The work and results are not doing the talking, and objectively speaking, the word "earned" should not even be in his vocabulary at this stage.

In 18 games this year, Bronny has averaged 4.2 minutes, 1.4 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, and 0.2 steals. He is shooting 25.8% from the field, 20% from beyond the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free throw line.

In college, he started six games and played 19 others, and he averaged 19.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 0.8 steals while shooting 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from beyond the three-point line, and 67.6% from the free throw line.

As some have said, being the son of LeBron James can only get him into the league; it can't keep him there, much less after LeBron eventually retires.

That's not to say he can't succeed on his own. And that doesn't inherently mean people are rooting against him. But at this stage, he has not had that success, or anything close to it, and that obviously has people talking.

Seriously, what else do you expect?

Perhaps amid his son's struggles, that reality has already set in on LeBron, and the fact that someone notable had the audacity to point it out made him snap.

It's not a stretch to say that any other player with these numbers would not have been selected in last year's NBA Draft. And it's laughable to think the Lakers would have taken him if his father weren't already on the team. Maybe the jokes about LeBron basically being the General Manager, given his "executive power", aren't exaggerated.

Though Bronny himself has done nothing wrong, nepotism is an understatement.

But what makes this all the more compelling is that there are others in the sports world who have to hear criticism about their own children and/or grandchildren, and unlike "tough guy" LeBron James, they don't respond in an immature manner because they aren't capable of handling it when somebody refuses to blow smoke and sing praises.

NASCAR fans, other racing series see this criticism all the time

This is particularly true in motorsports, where everybody knows that having a famous last name can be even more important than talent in some cases when it comes to landing a seat.

We just had this very discussion after a pack of pay drivers brought up the rear in IndyCar's recent season opener in St. Petersburg.

But can you imagine if, for instance, Richard Childress went on a profanity-laced rant in a reporter's face during the Daytona 500 about his grandson, Austin Dillon, being in the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet?

Can you imagine if Lawrence Stroll decided to attack a journalist for pointing out Lance Stroll's seemingly never-ended contract with Aston Martin, a contract that has undoubtedly kept additional talent off the grid for nearly a decade simply because his father basically bought him a team?

Can you imagine if Michael or Mario Andretti confronted a reporter during the Indy 500 for writing or saying that Marco, still winless in 19 Indy 500 starts, has had a tough task to live up to the Andretti name?

None of this would ever happen, because these are all adults who know how to act in an adult-like manner without an obvious sense of entitlement.

They understand criticism, and they understand that not every analyst is going to see things the way they do. They're also used to it, and not just because it comes with the territory in racing, but because it comes with the territory in any sport where the spotlight shines bright. Everything you do is indeed analyzed under a microscope, and they understand that they might not always like it.

But LeBron James, who is ironically a minority owner in Fenway Sports Group, a parent company of NASCAR Cup team RFK Racing, has seemingly never understood any of that.

Sticking up for your son is one thing, but staging a public and completely unsolicited confrontation with a guy for simply doing his job, and doing that job in nothing shy of a professional way at that, has made it clear that he lives in his own world, with his own set of rules. And if you don't follow them, he isn't afraid to show his true colors.