Recently, Brony James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old son of NBA legend and 21-year veteran in the league, LeBron James, made history with his draft as it would be the first time in history that there has been a father-son duo in the league.
Despite the significant accomplishment in joining the select group of the world’s best basketball players, many have speculated that Bronny was selected by the Lakers merely because he was the son of LeBron James, claiming his talent had nothing to do with him joining the NBA. However, the Lakers have stated that such claims are not true.
During a Tuesday press conference, former NBA player and head coach for the Lakers, J.J. Reddick, stated, “Rob and I did not give Bronny anything.” Reddick continued, stressing that James put in the necessary work to earn his spot on the team’s roster. “Bronny has earned this. … Bronny has earned this through hard work,” he said dismissing the rampant speculation.
Bronny also discussed how such criticism of his game is nothing new to him. Having spent his whole life being the son of “King James,” he has always faced comparisons to his father and critical commentary about his abilities. However, Bronny indicated that he is prepared to deal with the pressure he faces and “get through it.”
“For sure, amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it on social media and stuff, and the internet and stuff and talking about that I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different, but it’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it,” he added, optimistically.
Giving credence to the criticisms of his detractors, Bronny did not start on the USC Men’s basketball team while playing in college. Furthermore, some have pointed out that his stats did not resemble that of an NBA prospect, where he averaged “4.8 points on 36.6% shooting (26.7% from 3), 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game at USC,” according to ESPN.
Nonetheless, Bronny expressed his anticipation for the opportunity that he has been given to play for the Lakers. “I feel like I could’ve been perfecting my game more,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at SC. I’m excited for what is to come.”
James further claimed that the chance to make history and play alongside his father was not the driving factor in his decision to declare for the NBA draft. “Rob has told me that there’s a great development system here, so I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day,” he explained. “I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad. But that’s always there to take part of. But that wasn’t the main focus of mine.”
Featured image credit: Eleven Warriors, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lebron_%22Bronny%22_James_Jr.jpg
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