Bronny James recently made his entry into the NBA. LeBron’s eldest son was selected by the Lakers as the 55th overall pick in the draft. With this, both players are set to make history by becoming the first father-son duo to play together on the professional level. Given his abysmal stats, however, Bronny’s inclusion was met with skepticism, with many questioning whether he was taken in just because of what LeBron meant to the Lakers. The same reasoning gained intensity after the young star’s performance during his debut Summer League game. However, according to the Fox Sports Radio hosts, LeBron taking in the criticism of his son is part of a bigger strategy that will only fuel the star’s championship run.
A few hours ago, newscaster Alex Curry and reporter Carmen Vitali hosted another segment of Fox Sports Radio. Devoting a majority of their time to discussing Bronny James and his place in the Lakers franchise, the duo stated that the young player should not be compared with his fellow rookie Dalton Knecht. After all, in the same Summer League debut matchup where LeBron’s son scored 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, Knecht followed through with 12 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds.
“They’re not on the same level,” said Curry about Bronny and Dalton. “Don’t connect, like they’re (Lakers) not looking at them the same.” While Bronny may not be the best in terms of offensive prowess, he possesses another advantage. According to the hosts, having his son by his side may be the push that an aging LeBron James needs to take the Lakers to victory.
Furthermore, the hosts highlighted their belief that LeBron, being a “media mogul”, is quite aware of all the criticism that is being directed towards Bronny. But, instead of letting it get to him, the All-Time leading scorer will “backlog” it for a much-needed motivation. After all, if NBA history has taught us anything, it is that some of the greats give their best when put under the determination to prove someone wrong.
“Kobe did it, Tom Brady does it… or did it, Tiger Woods did it, like all of these…. Michael Jordan did it,” said Carmen Vitali. “I shudder to think what Jordan would have manufactured had social media been around when he played, although it probably would have been good for his career.”
Longtime NBA fans know just what Michael Jordan was capable of when he got the proper motivation. The 2020 Netflix Documentary ‘The Last Dance’, featuring the highlights of Jordan’s journey with the Bulls, carried several instances of when the player did not take any trash talk against him lightly and responded by dominating the game over his unfortunate rival.
From his former teammate BJ Armstrong getting the better of him during an important matchup to Karl Malone getting the MVP over him, the moments when Michael Jordan ‘took it personally’ brought out his inner beast. The same motivation, according to the Fox Sports hosts, can work for LeBron James.
LeBron James defends Bronny after the latter’s Summer League debut
Three weeks from now, LeBron James and other members of Team USA will be heading to Paris to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Since the All-Time leading NBA scorer was busy in training camp preparing for the Games, he missed out on watching his son’s debut with the California Classic Summer League. However, he was able to catch up on it before engaging in a presser. When answering questions about Bronny scoring just 4 points during the debut, LeBron made it clear that it is still an early stage, and that a summer league game shouldn’t be compared to a regular season one.
“You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it once the season starts,” said the 39-year-old. “The only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days.”
Bronny missed out on several shots during the recent game, not recording his first points until just 5:51 minutes were remaining till halftime. However, he was effective on the defensive side, using multiple deflected passes, scoring rebounds, and making memorable passes to keep the ball moving between his teammates.
With a long way to go before Bronny can reach a level where he can go up against NBA veterans, the four-time champion highlighted that the expectations should not be so big with his son. “I just hope for him to get his feet wet in the NBA, the pace of the game, the speed of the game, the physicality of the game,” LeBron added during the presser.
Do you believe that having Bronny by his side can motivate LeBron enough to secure his fifth championship title? Let us know in the comments down below.
Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.