Bronny James Reveals How He Really Feels About Playing Alongside His Father In The NBA
LeBron James' son Bronny James just landed a major gig — and no, we're not talking about his underwear line with PSD Underwear. On June 27, the Los Angeles Lakers tapped Bronny as the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. "Everything has just been surreal. Just trying to take it all in by the days," Bronny gushed during a Lakers press conference on July 2 about the achievement. "Extremely grateful for everything that JJ [Redick] and Rob [Pelinka] have given to me. I've just been extremely excited to get to work," he added.
Alas, Bronny's verbiage seemed much less exuberant when asked about the pressures of playing on the same team as his famous father, NBA and Lakers legend LeBron James. "It's for sure an amplified amount of pressure," he confessed to the gaggle of reporters in attendance. "I've already seen it, media and on the internet and stuff talking about [how] I might not deserve an opportunity, but I've been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life, so it's nothing different," Bronny declared. "It's more amplified for sure," he repeated before vowing, "but I can get through it."
Bronny James is being accused of benefiting from nepotism
While many were elated to learn that Bronny James and his father would be playing in the NBA together, naysayers argued that Bronny was nothing more than a nepo baby enjoying the fruits of his father's NBA success. "Bronny James is the first NBA player to ever be drafted because of who his dad is. He is in no way one of the 58 best basketball players. He's a nepo basketball baby," OutKick founder Clay Travis tweeted in part.
Still, Lakers head coach JJ Redick was adamant that Bronny was selected on his own merit. "Rob and I did not give Bronny anything," he declared during the Lakers presser (via CNN). "Bronny has earned this through hard work ... There's a lot to like about his game."
But that's not all. Even Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade entered the group chat in Bronny's defense. "I think that a lot of people don't get the chance to see the work athletes put in. They haven't seen Bronny James get up every day at 5 a.m. in the morning to go live his dream out and the work he's put in behind the scenes to get to this point is incredible," Wade told "Today" host Craig Melvin (via the Daily Mail). "We're all rooting for Bronny." Perhaps Bronny is on the list of celeb nepotism babies who actually deserve the fame?!
LeBron James Lakers $104 million deal has certainly fanned the flames
On July 3, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bronny James' dear old dad, LeBron James, inked a $104 million contract with the same team to continue playing for two more years. According to Wojnarowski, the contract includes a "player option and no trade clause. As one can imagine, this only fanned the flames for those speculating that Bronny's selection was all part of the Lakers' grander plan to keep their star player right where they wanted him.
Shortly after the news broke, many took to the Twittersphere to let their thoughts be known. "The organization hired the head coach that he wanted and then drafted his son and locked him into a guaranteed multi year deal. The announcement of LeBron James staying in LA today is not even a story at this point. He is the puppet master. They are the puppet," one X user tweeted. Meanwhile another wrote, "This dude clowned the lakers man," seemingly alluding to LeBron's shady side.
To make matters worse, LeBron has went on the record in the past stating that he would do anything to play his last year of basketball with his son. "My last year will be played with my son," he vowed to The Athletic in February 2022. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point." As the lovely Alanis Morissette once waxed poetic, "Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?"