November 2, 2024
It's not easy being the son of someone famous -- especially if that someone famous is perceived to have helped you enter a ludicrously exclusive club. Such is the burden of the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. James' son (LeBron Jr. -- otherwise known as Bronny) was...

It’s not easy being the son of someone famous — especially if that someone famous is perceived to have helped you enter a ludicrously exclusive club.

Such is the burden of the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

James’ son (LeBron Jr. — otherwise known as Bronny) was a relatively nondescript college basketball player who was far better known for his famous father than his on-court production.

That didn’t stop the Lakers from drafting Bronny, creating the first father-son duo in the NBA, with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Most reports suggested that James used just about every trick in the book to get his son on the Lakers, and those faint accusations of “nepotism” grew increasingly louder.

Trending:

NBA Superstar Makes ‘Unprecedented’ Move with Contract Extension: Giving Up Over $100 Million

Those allegations hit a bit of a fever pitch when, as ESPN reported, James inked a 4-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers.

Both the total years and total amount are relative anomalies for the 55th pick in the NBA Draft.

Many likely assumed that James would be looking forward to actually just playing basketball and avoiding all the extra noise currently surrounding him.

Do you think Bronny James will have a long NBA career?

Yes: 0% (0 Votes)

No: 100% (44 Votes)

That assumption appears to have been wrong, because James’ struggles in the NBA Summer League have sparked the loudest criticisms yet.

(Of note, the NBA Summer League is a special exhibition showcase, which established players generally don’t play in. The league is for rookies wanting to ease into their pro debut or players using the league as a “last chance” to try out for an NBA team. Therefore the competition is greatly lesser compared to that of the NBA proper.)

Here’s a viral video of one of James’ various misses in Summer League play:

The comments on social media have been less than kind to the young James.

Related:

Watch: Bronny James Under Fire for Saying He ‘Never Thought’ of Playing with LeBron After Being Drafted by Lakers

Many comments were commenting about some of James’ “brutal” airballs — which are bad misses that don’t touch the net or rim, for those unfamiliar with basketball speak — while others were flat out stating that LeBron’s son was simply not deserving of being in the NBA.

“He isn’t a NBA caliber player no matter what his last name is,” the biting post said.

One X account that specializes in drudging up poorly-aged posts also hammered the elder James, who posted in March 2023 about how his son is “definitely better” than some NBA players.

And that’s just one viral video and one viral post.

The rest of social media largely appears to be teeming with critics of both Bronny and LeBron James.

Bronny averaged a paltry 4.8 points on a bad 36.6 percent shooting from the field (and an even worse 26.7 percent from three), while chipping in 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in about 19 minutes per game as a freshman at the University of Southern California.

Bronny’s new teammate, LeBron James, meanwhile, averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 54 percent from the field in his 20th NBA season last year.


An Important Message from Our Staff:

We who work here at The Western Journal have fought for years against Big Tech and the elites who want to shut us down and then shut America down. 

Make no mistake — nothing will be the same after November 2024. Will you help us fight? Will you help us expose the America-hating elites who will do everything they can to steal this election? 

We’re a small group of people fighting to save the country for our readers and for our own family and friends. Can we count on your help?

At this point, Big Tech has cut off our access to 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone took 90% of your paycheck and there was nothing you could do. They’re trying to starve us out.

Donations from readers like you have literally helped keep our lights on, and we need you now more than ever. 

We operate on a shoestring budget, but with that budget, we terrify the globalists. Please help us continue the fight. Stand with us, and we will never surrender.

Thank you for reading The Western Journal and for believing in America. 

It is a pleasure to serve you.

P.S. Please don’t let the America-hating left win. Stand with us today!

Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.

Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.

Birthplace

Hawaii

Education

Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.

Location

Phoenix, Arizona

Languages Spoken

English, Korean

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech