One of the most talked about professional athletes is rarely heard from himself. That would be Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, the most famous two-way player in NBA history. But that finally changed this week as Bronny addressed the constant media whirlwind around him.
Bronny James had to know what he was getting into when being drafted by the Lakers last summer and fulfilling the dream of playing with his dad, LeBron James, in becoming the first father-son duo to ever play together in the NBA. While it was an incredible all-time sports moment to see them on an NBA floor together, Bronny’s every move has been scrutinized, really through no fault of his own, but from the situation that he has been placed in.
It was always going to be a long journey for him to be a dependable NBA rotation player after missing time at USC due to experiencing cardiac arrest and being a second round draft pick. But his G-League numbers are improving and Bronny has shown some small signs of improvement through his rookie season when taking the NBA floor.
But he found himself thrown in the headlines again when his father confronted Stephen A. Smith at a Lakers game about the First Take star’s criticisms about Bronny. And that launched a brand new news cycle of debate and scrutiny over his place in the league.
But once again, through it all, we never really heard from Bronny himself. That changed in a profile piece written by Joe Vardon at The Athletic, who has covered the James family since their days in Cleveland. In it, Bronny addresses the unprecedented level of attention and says that he indeed sees all the criticism that comes his way and tries to use it as fuel. In a moment of humanity, he also makes what seems like a plea to the critics, saying that he is not a robot.
Throughout Bronny’s brief pro career, his father had always said that Bronny tunes out or doesn’t hear the critics — he keeps his head down, focuses on the game and so on. But in our conversation Bronny said, multiple times, he actually does hear some of what is said about him, and he uses it to his advantage.
“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day,” Bronny said. “But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—— robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.
“But I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, get better every day,” Bronny continued. “That’s what Rob wants me to do as a young guy, coming in, playing in the G League and learning from far on the bench watching the Lakers play.”
When looked at in a vacuum, the transition of Bronny James to the NBA has probably gone about as well as anyone could have predicted before the season from a realistic point of view. He’s gotten some real, tangible minutes throughout the NBA season off the bench while playing a leading role and gaining valuable experience in the G-League. It’s easy to forget just how little top flight basketball he’s played in his career to this point.
And on top of that, the Lakers under first year head coach JJ Redick are vastly exceeding expectations in the Western Conference. After being gifted Luka Doncic by the Mavs, the future of the franchise hasn’t looked brighter since LeBron and company won a title in the bubble.
But for all the talk about Bronny, the criticism, the doubts, the shouts of nepotism, it’s good to be reminded that he is human and a 20 year old NBA rookie that has been placed in a spotlight that few people could ever imagine.