New Lakers teammates LeBron James and Bronny James share the same DNA but have contrasting personalities, per the senior James.
In an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James said that, unlike him, his son does not need to be liked by people around him, especially in the media. The Lakers star compared himself and his son when asked about Bronny already facing the kind of scrutiny he faced entering the league as a teenager.
“I don’t know if people really understand Bronny,” James said on July 7. “He doesn’t care [about criticism]. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me, and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. … He doesn’t give a [explicit].
“He does not care about nobody,” James continued. “He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest. He’s like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care. … Everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care.”
How Bronny is Handling the Spotlight
While Bronny, unlike his father, wasn’t a No. 1 overall pick and a child/teenage prodigy entering the NBA, he had a ton of eyeballs on his every move from a young age. The 19-year-old had amassed over 8M followers on Instagram before his NBA debut, a feat rarely achieved by teenage athletes.
As James further compared himself to his son, he pointed to Bronny’s ability to not let fame change him.
“Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy and you the kid still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself,” James said of Bronny. “I personally don’t know if I would’ve been able to do that if the roles were reversed.
“When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice. … I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city. Bronny has all the choices in the world. If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or wanted to be nothing to whatever, he could have done that. … People don’t understand how hard that is and the commitment for him to be coming out of heart surgery less than a year ago, for him to be able to be in the NBA, the kid, he’s special.”
“But he doesn’t care. He doesn’t,” James continued. “It doesn’t bother him.”
Bronny Unbothered by Nepotism Claims
Barely seconds after he was drafted No. 55 overall by the Lakers, critics on social media accused Bronny of being a beneficiary of nepotism. A lot of that criticism stemmed from Bronny averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his freshman season with the USC Trojans.
However, Bronny is determined to prove those naysayers wrong by cracking the Lakers’ rotation on his own accord.
“I’ve already seen it on social media and stuff, and the internet and stuff and talking about that I might not deserve an opportunity,” Bronny said during a press conference on Tuesday, July 2. “But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different, but it’s more amplified, for sure.”
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick echoed similar sentiments, making it clear that the Lakers drafted Bronny to unearth his potential, not due to his famous last name.
“We didn’t give Bronny anything,” Redick said on July 2. “Bronny has earned this through hard work. Prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as case study 1 … There’s a lot to like about his game.”
During his NBA Summer League debut on July 6, Bronny had 4 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steals from 21 minutes. He shot 2-for-9 from the field, 0-for-3 from deep and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line.
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