The Los Angeles Lakers came under fire during the offseason and at the start of the 2024-25 regular season for their decision to draft–and play–Bronny James, son of NBA great LeBron James. The elder James is pushing 40 years old but is still playing at a ridiculously high level, and it’s valuable to the Lakers both on and off the court to get the most out of their aging superstar and the NBA’s biggest name.
Bronny has played in six NBA games and recorded two baskets, although it’s blatantly clear that all of his minutes have been opportunities for cameras to get a picture of him and his father on the court together. He was recently sent down to the G League South Bay Lakers and there was very real hope that he would be able to develop into a quality NBA player in given time.
In his first G League outing, he scored six inefficient points and turned the ball over five times, but he facilitated well, racking up four assists, and defended at a high level. For a 55th overall pick, there’s not much more you could ask for.
However, recent reports have suggested that Bronny will be a part-time G League player and will not travel with the South Bay squad, instead staying in Los Angeles and not flying on commercial jets like the rest of his developmental team. One NBA Insider, who was a proponent of the Lakers’ drafting Bronny, has changed his tune.
“Anything that engages LeBron and gets more out of LeBron at this stage is a win for the Lakers,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the “Brian Windhorst and the Hoops Collective” podcast on Wednesday. “But I’m going to apply the brakes on my ‘Everything is Fine on the Bronny Front’ with this thing that is now happening, which is from my understanding, he’s only going to play in the South Bay Lakers’ home games, that he’s only going to kind of be a part-time G League player, and he’s not getting on United Airlines and going to fly to play in these road games.”
Windhorst has long believed that using the 55th pick in the 2024 Draft and investing in Bronny just to appease LeBron is a valuable effort, but at this point, the Lakers have taken things too far.
“I know he’s getting somewhat special treatment and nepotism,” continued Windhorst. “That’s fine, honestly, I don’t care. Like I said, it’s normal. Now, I think it’s actually detrimental to him, I don’t like that. I don’t know whose idea it was, but obviously, the Lakers are fine with it; they’re doing it. On this particular instance, I think that’s gone too far, and I don’t think it benefits Bronny. I don’t think it benefits the South Bay Lakers, and I don’t think it benefits LeBron at this point.”
While Bronny will never be an all-time great like his father, he does have the tools to be a solid backup guard, especially on defense. However, for him to unlock that potential, his development will need to be handled with the utmost care, and the Lakers’ continual prioritization of photo opportunities and manufactured historical moments have now gotten in the way of Bronny’s success at the NBA level.