Many people believe that Bronny was selected by the Lakers through “connections”, mainly because LeBron James played in Los Angeles, and not because he had the talent to match the club’s 55th pick.

This coming NBA season, LeBron James will have a few new teammates. The most prominent is none other than his son Bronny, whose real name is LeBron James Jr.

Knowing that Bronny is a frequent target of attacks from overzealous fans, LeBron James took to social media to publicly defend his son ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.

“ Let the gossip and the hate go and just keep practicing, son. You will know what you are capable of. They certainly won’t know that ,” LeBron James encouraged Bronny.

LeBron James’ son Bronny in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey at the NBA Summer League in July

As one of the most anticipated rookies in the 2024-25 NBA season, Bronny James has been under fire since the day he was selected in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Many people believe that Bronny was selected by the Lakers through “connections”, mainly because his father played in Los Angeles, and not because he had the talent to match the club’s 55th pick.

This statement is not entirely wrong when Bronny James has only played 1 season at the college level, averaging only 4.8 points with 2.1 assists and shooting 26.7% from 3 in the USC Trojans shirt.

Bronny James didn’t leave much of an impression at Summer League

The above statistics are far below what NBA talent usually has. However, one factor that is rarely mentioned by the online community is that LeBron James’ son suffered a mild stroke more than a year ago, right before the start of the 2023-24 season.

This caused Bronny to spend months recovering, completely missing the training and pre-season preparation period with his teammates. When he returned to the field, the player born in 2004 appeared lost and took a long time to catch up with his teammates at USC.

Before his heart attack, Bronny James was a five-star player with strong vision and defensive ability, two areas he hopes to develop when he enters the NBA.

LeBron James will join his son Bronny James at the Los Angeles Lakers

Coming to the NBA quite early, Bronny James is expected to experience many difficulties in the Los Angeles Lakers shirt. This is a team with high championship expectations and little “space” for young talents to show off.

For now, LeBron’s son will get to try his hand at the G-League, then gradually find his regular minutes in the NBA. And no matter how many challenges he faces, Bronny will definitely have the full support of LeBron James next season.