2 days Ago By Christian Alamodin, Hardwood Heroics
Bronny James has turned the narratives surrounding his spot in the Los Angeles Lakers from skepticism and nepotism to cautious hope. Children of NBA superstars don’t often find the same level of success as their fathers. The best example this phenomenon is Michael Jordan’s two sons, one of whom is more known for off-court antics than his basketball career.
Bronny decided not to address any negative buzz surrounding him and let his game do the talking. While his first couple of games in the NBA were what many expected out of him, he put up great performances that made even Stephen A. Smith revisit his hot takes on the 20-year-old from Akron.
His debut NBA campaign is going so well that one analyst realigned his opinion on the young guard in a recent piece. Analyst praises Bronny James’ approach to rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke were among the NBA thinkers who didn’t believe Bronny was worth the 55th pick the Purple and Gold used on the 2025 NBA Draft. Like many at the time, they believed that Bronny didn’t earn his spot after his lone season with the USC Trojans .
However, his latest piece saw him backpedal on his previous statements. He fully believes in the Bronny James project Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick are working on. He was just trying not to mess up.
That was his mantra the entire season, a pledge filled with the respectful humility that framed his image into that of a likable kid who was just here to hoop. He was a nepo baby, but he didn’t act like it. He was the most famous son of the most famous basketball player in the world, yet he quietly behaved like just another lucky stiff.
Bronny’s rookie season numbers aren’t much to write home about. He’s only played 23 NBA games, averaging 2.3 points, 0.
6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. However, Lakers fans who followed his games would tell you about the flashes of brilliance he’s shown in the NBA and the G League.
His 17-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks is the biggest point for many Bronny supporters, but his numbers for the South Bay Lakers also suggest a bright NBA future. Bronny will probably be the first to tell you that he’s not trying to become the next LeBron James . However, he’s proven that he’s an NBA-level talent and will work to keep his dream job for a long time.
This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission..
