Bronny James faced plenty of criticism even before he entered the NBA. Since he joined his father LeBron James on the Lakers, the critics have only grown louder.
His detractors were at their loudest after James’ Summer League debut, during which the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft scored just four points on 2-of-9 shooting.
That type of early-career critique would be enough to impact the confidence of most young players. But LeBron James believes his son will be unbothered by the negative appraisal levied against him.
“I don’t know if people really understand Bronny,” LeBron told ESPN when asked about Bronny’s critics after USA Basketball practice Sunday. “He doesn’t care.”
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The elder James elaborated that he “actually cares a little bit” what critics are saying, both about Bronny and himself. That’s been the case since his entry into the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
“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,” LeBron explained. “[Bronny] doesn’t give a f—. He does not care about nobody. He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest.”
As LeBron noted, Bronny’s attitude is a lot different than the one the his father has had throughout his career.
“He’s like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care,” James said. “Everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care.”
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That’s one of the many reasons that LeBron is so impressed with his son.
“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,” LeBron said. “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.”
LeBron believes that positions Bronny well to continue to develop his skills at the NBA level. And, of course, his ability to avoid fretting over any negative coverage he is getting should help him in his quest to prove he belongs as a pro.
“He doesn’t care. He doesn’t,” James said again. “It doesn’t bother him.”