LeBron James did not take the media’s recent snub of his son Bronny James lightly. The former No. 1 overall pick unleashed on analysts after the younger James was left off of the latest 2024 NBA Draft board.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar took to X to pen a lengthy clapback at detractors who don’t view his son as a NBA-ready talent. He also shielded the USC freshman by calling for less pressure to be put on him.
The elder James is all too familiar with being under a microscope as a star amateur athlete.
That’s why he vehemently spoke against the omission and blasted their credibility in assessing the game and its players.
LeBron James urges son to drown out haters
The elder James sees promise in his talented offspring. Thus, he urged the younger James to let the work he puts into his game do the talking.
The 6-foot-4 guard shows a precocious feel for the game despite being a freshman. He hasn’t gotten a boatload of minutes for the Trojans this year. However, when he’s on the floor, he impresses with high IQ decision-making and athletic finishes at the rim.
This is why James, along with the rest of the basketball world, are intently waiting to see his game translate to the next level. That and witnessing him play with his father.
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Those prospects are threatened by the younger James’ absence on the first and second-round projections. Hence why the elder James said this on the matter, per Bleacher Report:
“Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” the 20-time All-Star wrote before slamming Mock Draft analysts. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the work matters!! Let’s talk real basketball people!”
LeBron chimes in on Bronny's critics and mock draft placing pic.twitter.com/74DwLSpJsN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 26, 2024
The elder James sticking up for his son follows the younger James’ recovery from a cardiac arrest episode that threatened his basketball career last July.
It also comes after a social media craze sparked by James’ reported interest in the New York Knicks.
Fans want to see the James duo in the league together. Luckily for the future Hall-of-Famer, Bronny will likely get an NBA contract even if he goes undrafted, at the least for the box office appeal he’d generate.