Bronny James is aware that some people think he was only drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers because of his famous father LeBron, but he says he will "get through" the criticism. The 19-year-old was the 55th pick in the New York draft on Thursday after weeks of speculation about which team he would join. No father-son duo has ever played together in the NBA
For sure there's an amplified amount of pressure," James said on Tuesday before his first training session. "I've already seen it on social media and the internet, talk about how I might not deserve an opportunity. But I've been dealing with stuff like this my whole life so it's nothing different. It's more amplified for sure, but I'll get through it
James completed his first year of college basketball with the University of Southern California Trojans, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game. His season was cut short by a cardiac arrest, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes he has great potential to become an "excellent NBA player
"His base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defending, shooting, passing - there's a lot to like about his game," Redick added. "As we build out our player development program holistically, he's going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player
Shortly after participating in the McDonald's All-American Game, he suffered a cardiac arrest while working out on campus, delaying his college debut. After missing some time, the son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer returned to the floor but didn't play to his full potential. Despite an eventful offseason, he still averaged less than five points per game while starting six of his 25 games played. Nevertheless, he was the 55th selection in the NBA Draft to his father's Los Angeles Lakers
James averaged 19.3 minutes per game with the Trojans. It remains to be seen what his role will be with L.A., and typically, a 55th pick wouldn't have much of one. But James aims to rewrite history. He said that missing time in the summer kept him from "perfecting [his] game more," which impacted his season. "I feel like I've been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn't given that much of an opportunity at USC," James told the media on Tuesday
Considering he is now teammates with his father, and the Lakers hired LeBron's podcast co-host JJ Redick, there is broad speculation that LeBron has been the de facto general manager this offseason, a popular belief throughout his career. The Lakers' selection of Bronny made the Jameses the first father-son duo to be active players in the NBA at the same time
LeBron once said his final year in the NBA would be with his son, leading to assumptions that he would retire after playing with Bronny for one year. However, before the draft, their agent Rich Paul said the two were not a package deal. It seemed odd that Bronny had workout invites from at least 10 teams but only accepted two from the Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Paul says that was all by design
Scouts weren't too kind to Bronny, with one saying he was "not an NBA prospect." In his lone season with the USC Trojans, he averaged less than five points per game. Once he begins the 2024-25 campaign, LeBron will make history in two ways. Not only will he share the floor with his son, but he will also tie Vince Carter for the most NBA seasons played at 22
