LeBron James has to know that his son Bronny is going to get all sorts of attention no matter what he does, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar took issue with how certain reporting was framed on Monday.
The King was looking out for the prince when reports came in that Bronny, a freshman guard at USC, was no longer featured in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft.
Certain tweeters were quick on the uptake for LeBron’s comments on the Bronny mock snub, which were deleted mere minutes after they were posted.
To be fair to ESPN, no one in their right mind would have Bronny James being drafted this year. He’s averaged only 5.5 points on shooting splits of 37.1/27.5/62.1 along with 2.8 boards and 2.5 assists per contest. It doesn’t matter that LeBron has made it known that he wants to play with his son in the NBA, and that drafting Bronny could mean LeBron is part of a package deal. Bronny isn’t ready for the professional level yet — and that’s OK.
A key piece of context here is that Bronny was only cleared to play basketball in late November. He spent months away from the sport and from training to improve his skills due to a scary cardiac arrest situation. With that type of setback, it was always going to take Bronny a little while to get his sea legs under him as his college hoops career began.
Another noteworthy addition to this Bronny discourse: ESPN’s lead NBA Draft analyst, Jonathan Givony, made it clear on TV today that Bronny could still be a lottery pick if he develops like many people expect him to as a USC sophomore.
Not gonna lie, I got really excited when Bronny committed to USC, and thought between him and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, the Trojans would have so much to cheer about last year into this year. Instead, USC underachieved on the gridiron in Williams’ final season; Bronny has had a freshman campaign to forget on what’s currently the worst team in the Pac-12.
If Bronny can take more command of the Trojans next season with improve shooting, more of an attack-oriented mentality, and continue progressing as a dynamic perimeter defender, he’ll be squarely on the draft radar for NBA teams in 2025. Until then, he’s going to take a lot of heat for the mere fact that he is LeBron James’ son.
Putting aside the harsh reality of the situation and how much attention Bronny innately attracts, I agree with what LeBron is saying on principle. Time will tell if Bronny can indeed put in the requisite work to merit being drafted to the NBA — and possibly playing alongside his dad.
