Los Angeles — Bronny James said on July 2 that he is prepared to deal with the strain of playing alongside his National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar father LeBron, as he was formally introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 19-year-old former University of Southern California player, who was selected by the Lakers with the 55th selection in the NBA Draft last week, will form the NBA’s first father-and-son duo when he joins the team next season.
The Lakers’ decision for the adolescent has been met with skepticism in certain places, with experts asking if the team would have picked him if he wasn’t LeBron James’ eldest son.
Bronny, with dad LeBron in the background, addressed those accusations front on during a July 2 press conference at the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo.
“There’s definitely more pressure,” Bronny added.
“I’ve already seen it: people on social media and the internet talking about how I don’t deserve an opportunity.
“But, you know, I’ve been dealing with situations like this my entire life. So there’s nothing unusual. It’s definitely more exaggerated. But I will get through it.”
James, who was introduced with fellow draftee Dalton Knecht, received his characteristic yellow and purple Lakers uniform for the first time.
Next season, he’ll wear a No. 9 shirt with “James Jr” on it.
“Everything has been surreal, trying to take it all in,” Bronny said of the roller coaster of emotions he has had since being picked by the Lakers on June 27.
Bronny said he hadn’t discussed his rookie season goals with his father, who will be 40 in December and enter his 22nd season in the NBA.
He responded: “We haven’t gone too deep into that stuff yet, especially since we haven’t even started summer league yet.”
“But just stuff that he’s been telling me my whole life, just having that work ethic and getting your work in and listening to your coaches and being coachable – something he’s driven into my head my whole life,” says Bronny.
Bronny stood with Lakers’ new head coach J.J. Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka, expressing thanks to the front office for “everything (they) have given me.”
That prompted an explanation from Redick, who was controversially hired to the Lakers’ head coaching position in June despite having never coached in the NBA.
“I want to clarify one thing that you just said, which is that Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick stated, stressing that the younger James was hired on merit.
“Bronny has earned it. Bronny discusses his hard effort. “Bronny earned this through hard work,” Redick stated.
“We see Bronny as Case Study 1 because his basic level of feel, agility, point-of-attack defense, shooting, and passing are all positive aspects of his game.
“He’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”
However, The Athletic stated that the Lakers are breaching NBA rules by guaranteeing Bronny’s rookie deal.
They stated that the 19-year-old is signing a multi-year contract. Typically, contracts for second-round draft choices are not guaranteed.
Bronny, who suffered a heart collapse while practicing with USC in pre-season in July 2023, stated that the opportunity to play with his father was not a “main focus” in his decision to join the Lakers.
“Rob has told me there’s a great development system here, so I just want to come in and put my work in and get better every day,” said the student. “I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad, but that’s always there… but that wasn’t a main focus.”
He stated his health crisis last year, which limited his collegiate basketball outings, motivated him to succeed in his NBA career.
“The time that I had off I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more,” according to him. “Yeah, I just 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.” AFP, Reuters
