LeBron James’ Biggest Hater Displays Rare Emotion For USC’s Bronny; Presses Gut Feeling on Live Show
The 2024 NBA draft is closer than ever. As the NBA gradually transitions to the playoffs, speculations about the upcoming youngsters rise even more. With that, the narrative around LeBron James‘ son, Bronny James takes center stage. Bronny, returning from a cardiac arrest last year, is seeing a significant low in his professional career. As the USC Trojans end their season, Bronny averaged less than 5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Moreover, he shot less than 25% from the three, and 37% from the floor while playing 19 minutes a game.
Among many, Skip Bayless and Michael Irvin discuss what the appropriate future would be for young James. While the two touched on the possibility of Bronny entering the season, Irvin highlights the discrepancy he might face in the league. Skip, nevertheless, claims that “he’s [Bronny] a better shooter than his dad [LeBron James] is, but that did not manifest at USC.” Moreover, with a sure-shot chance of evolving his game with USC next year, Bayless made a controversial remark. The expert analyst claims, “My gut feeling is he should not go back to college because I don’t think he can get much better playing with college kids.”
Often being lauded as LeBron James’ biggest hater, Bayless’ remarks paint him out of character. However, he backs his claims by citing the likelihood of Bronny to shine brighter in a “pro-basketball” environment, rather than college basketball.
Moreover, highlighting the offensive void in his game, Bayless believed Bronny’s hard-nose defense, high IQ, physicality and mental toughness can make him a great asset alongside LeBron James.
Bronny could be sidelined if he enters the NBA
The possibility for Bronny to enter the NBA behind a dismal season is speculated because of LeBron James’ influence in the league. With that, Irvin touched on a shrewd possibility potentially coming to light if Bronny declares for the draft. Irvin claims that players around the league would treat Bronny differently, especially because his father is LeBron James. According to Irvin, a notion of ‘given, not earned’ would soon spark within the league, forcing players to consistently make things difficult for Bronny.
While Irvin points out the players like Dillon Brooks, who have a reputation of going after Bronny’s father, Bayless brings forth a recent instance in the league. Referring to Lonzo Ball‘s debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, Skip points out the hardships Patrick Beverly created for the rookie, while mocking his dad, LaVar Ball, for influencing his draft prospects.
