It has generated debate whether or not the Lakers should select Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. In the opinion of many, the team selected him in order to keep LeBron James on staff, and he would not have been selected if it weren’t for his father’s influence. But that view has been discounted by his teammate D’Angelo Russell.
The guard criticized Bronny’s critics during a talk with Garrett Clark, saying that his last name was being used too unfairly. He supported the young talent, saying that under his father’s tutelage, he would become an important member of the league.
According to Russell: “You hating on that is just lowballing to me…If you make it [in the NBA] you have a chance to be the guy that they say ‘Oh, he wasn’t this, wasn’t that’ and end up being like the best guy because they didn’t expect you to. But you’re here now, so, the work starts now.”
Russell went on to say that Bronny already had his father’s blueprint for success in the NBA. He asserted that the rookie guard will undoubtedly have a brilliant career if he trained with the same commitment that James has shown for more than 20 years.
It appears that Bronny has already taken Russell’s counsel to heart and has been working out hard with his dad in order to get ready for his debut year. Even though the guard has been totally focused, James is still finding it hard to accept that his kid is now a teammate.
