Bronny James says – indirectly – he has bigger goals than playing puppet at the NBA All-Star Game.
“LeBron James and Bronny James wanted by league… to participate in skills challenge during All-Star Weekend” NBA Insider Chris Haynes said Thursday“But I was told that the invitation had been declined.”
Bronny was also invited to play against the G League's Rising Stars team, but that offer was also declined, Haynes reports.
LeBron, 40, and Bronny, 20, would have become the first father-son duo to compete against each other in a skills competition.
And while that's history, it's Champs history compared to what James made at the beginning of the season when they became the first father-son duo to share an NBA court.
So while the elder James jets off to West Rat-infused Paris to play buddy with the league's other All-Stars, including the first Knickerbocker starting duo in 50 years, his firstborn is staying home . Or, perhaps, the gym.
Even before the Lakers selected him in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, pundits, enthusiasts, and online love losers were chatting about where Bronny James should play and what Bronny James should do. Ta.
Still, in the weeks since he was “demoted” to the G League, under the slightly brighter lights of the South Bay, King's Kin has shut out the noise and appeared to be playing some pretty relentlessly good basketball.
The sample size is small, just seven games, but over that span, Bronny is averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 26.9 minutes on the floor.
These numbers prorated per full 48-minute game rise to 23.9, 6.1, and 6.9, respectively.
It's not all gold. A field goal percentage of 36.6%, including 21.2% from beyond the ARC, leaves a lot to be desired.
But for a second-round pick with just one season of college ball, his first professional season, and playing with goat-sized expectations on his shoulders, those numbers represent a step in the right direction. Masu.
NBA All-Star Weekend is what it is. Skipping will save Bronny at least two flights.
But more than that, it was a week saved and a week earned. Weeks that could be spent developing actual skills are not at Chase Center, not at internationally broadcast broadcasts, and at Chase Center.
And yes, there are networking opportunities that are missed, but what are bronies really missing out on?
