LAS VEGAS — For the first time in a while, a smile appeared on Bronny James’ face and sweat rolled down his forehead. He was surrounded by reporters in a muggy hallway deep inside Thomas & Mack Arena. Lakers The summer league team’s long-awaited first win. The weight of the world seemed to be weighing on the 19-year-old rookie. This game not only marked the team’s first win, but also the end of his summer slump in three-point shooting. It was clear that his smile expressed more than just the joy of finally winning his first professional game; it also expressed a more genuine emotion: relief.
If he scores 12 points, that night at least, it will be enough to temporarily quiet the noise. And the noise is deafening. To some extent, he’s dealt with it his whole life as the eldest son of the most famous person on the planet. But the scrutiny certainly increased when LeBron James Sr. started telling the media a few years ago that it was his dream to play with the young man named after him. “I’ve got to be on the court with my son. I’ve got to be on the court with Bronny,” James Sr. said. He told ESPN in early 2023He has since backed off that stance significantly, and in the year leading up to Bronny’s draft eligibility, he backed off a bit. Changed position To support Bronnie in whatever he chooses.
However, despite James Jr.’s injury, rumors continued about a possible Ken Griffey Jr./Sr. in the NBA. Tragic cardiac arrest Last summer at USC, he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that raised doubts about whether he would ever play basketball again, let alone at the NBA level. The teenager made a full recovery and eventually Debuted at USC last DecemberAs expected, after undergoing heart surgery and being away from basketball for quite some time, his on-court results were mixed. USC was struggling with its own struggles as a team, and while Bronny showed signs of NBA potential, demonstrating good defensive instincts and game feel, he just wasn’t the lottery pick that was projected coming out of high school. At least not yet. Rumors began to circulate that he might fall to the second round or go undrafted altogether. He was eventually selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th pick in the second round, and this fall he and his father will become the first father-son teammates in NBA history.
Father-son angle aside, one can speculate that if Bronny’s name wasn’t LeBron James Jr., the return of a kid who literally went from the brink of death on the court to being drafted into the NBA less than a year later would have been a draft heartwarming story. But in a world where the topic of nepotism itself has been a hot topic in Hollywood lately, “nepotism babies,” James Jr. has never been more heavily criticized and scrutinized than in the weeks following the draft, and it’s understandable that some resentment would surface in any situation where a child is benefiting from nepotism to at least some degree. But it’s fair to say this argument has been taken too far.
The simple truth is that never in NBA history has a late second-round draft pick been subject to so much criticism heading into his rookie season. The Lakers’ decision to offer James Jr. a guaranteed contract (four years, $7.9 million) and a roster spot from the get-go is unusual for a draft pick of his stature, but his salary will be just under $2.5 million in his fourth and final year, with a team option. For reference, his salary cap for 2027-2028, the final year of his contract, is as follows: It is expected to be around $190 million.That means James Jr.’s share of the cap would be just over 1 percent, even if the team exercises his option.
According to Elder James, He recently spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.But his son isn’t too upset by the criticism. “It doesn’t bother me,” James told ESPN. “Actually, it bothers me a little bit. [as a rookie]”I wanted everybody to like me, and early in my career, I was kind of worried about what everybody was saying about me. … He just doesn’t care.” Bronny certainly seems remarkably calm amid all this turmoil, but his struggles in his first few summer league games (both the California Classic and the more high-profile Las Vegas tournament) suggest he’s no absolute slob. And there were moments when the constant father-son tales themselves (understandably) seemed to irritate the teenager. Though he remained calm, he was clearly worn down by a lengthy line of questions about his father during his introductory press conference, when he said, “He doesn’t say anything about my father.” “Never” in my dreams When asked if his father’s famously professed dreams were ones he and his father shared, he said of playing alongside his father: “My dream was always to get my name out there, make a name for myself and, obviously, make it to the NBA.”
Bronny James won’t be the basketball player his father was — blood relative or not, there’s a chance he might not be — but at just 19 and with limited collegiate experience, it’s too early to declare him a failure or that he doesn’t deserve a chance.
For a player with defensive acumen, a wingspan longer than his height, a high basketball IQ and, of course, a good resume, it was worth a shot to see if a late second-round pick could be a useful role player in the NBA. If it didn’t work out, he would join the hundreds of other late second-round picks who only stepped on an NBA court a few times and ended up overseas or behind the scenes. While TV prognosticators fret day and night about this deal, no one knows what Bronny’s NBA career will be like. Only time will tell, an enemy James Sr. continues to fight.
