LeBron James is a player for the history books. With four NBA titles, four NBA MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals, and several All-Star and All-NBA accolades, it’s safe to suggest that LeBron has won everything there is to win in basketball. Moreover, he is also going to reach the 40,000-point milestone anytime he steps on the court once again. While King James occupies such a big space in the world of basketball, filling his shoes would be naturally hard to fill his gigantic shoes for Bronny James.
Yet, this is precisely the expectation placed upon the 19-year-old, who just entered college. Bronny James recently started his NCAA career with the USC Trojans and is trying to play some good basketball. However, his stats still need a lot of improvement for him to become an attractive NBA option for the scouts.
This, coupled with ESPN’s latest report that projected Bronny James as a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft doesn’t seem to be easing any pressures of replicating LeBron James off his shoulders.
LBJ is beginning to understand the pitfalls of hyping up Bronny James for years. However, while LBJ has always been bashed from all directions in this regard, NBA GOAT Michael Jordan is intimately familiar with his situation. During his Hall-of-Fame enshrinement speech in 2009, MJ discussed the massive expectations his two sons had to deal with because of him. He said, “I wouldn’t want to be you guys.”
King James has had an almost similar trajectory to Jordan, and thus, he could also be haunted with the same concern. While both Jefferey and Marcus Jordan’s careers didn’t pan out as expected, Bronny James still has the opportunity to grow and carve out his own path in the NBA. But will he even be able to get the opportunity to play in the world’s biggest basketball league?
Is Bronny James good enough for the NBA?
Bronny’s recent performances for the USC Trojans suggest that he isn’t quite ready to take the step up into NBA basketball. Furthermore, most scouts and draft experts have dismissed the notion that Bronny would be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, that wasn’t always the case because as recently as last year, LeBron James’ son was projected to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Scouts took notice of Bronny’s stellar performances for Sierra Canyon in his senior year. He averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Several scouts were impressed with his defensive abilities and his intangibles in particular. Bronny definitely has the quality and talent to play in the NBA. He just has to recover his form, which could be tough, especially after he suffered a cardiac arrest less than 8 months ago. What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments below!