On Wednesday, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers scored an impressive 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks to improve to a 21-21 record for the season. Post-game, journalists in the locker room were eager to get James’ thoughts about the Lakers’ victory. However, the four-time MVP had no interest in answering questions as he was preoccupied with watching his son Bronny James and the USC Trojans game against the Arizona Wildcats.
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When asked how Bronny and USC were playing, James replied:
“Bronny’s doing well, USC’s been better.”
James is usually quick to praise his teammates. However, when he was asked about Anthony Davis‘ near triple-double performance, he said:
“He’s learning from me. How to pass out of the post. He’s working on it and it’s great. Teams are about to stop doubling him soon. As long as we make our shots, teams will stop doubling. So, it’s our job to make sure we’re in the right position.”
While answering the question, James yelled, “Shoot it,” twice at the TV. He also yelled “God d**mmit” before apologizing while answering a question about the Lakers’ 16-4 run in the third quarter.
One journalist realized James had no interest in answering questions about the win over the Mavericks. He pivoted and asked the Lakers superstar if losing a tough game was harder or watching his son Bronny and the Trojans lose. The question seemed to be the first that piqued James’ interest, as he said:
“Watching college basketball alone is tough. You add my son in there and it’s hard to watch. I’m a dad, but I also love the game of basketball and in college basketball it’s like 10 people in the paint at the same time. It’s very hard at times to watch.”
James’ disdain for college basketball is understandable. He skipped it and went straight from high school to the NBA. He did not bother playing with and against inferior talent and went straight to being a pro.
That said, despite downplaying the level of college basketball, James hailed USC and Arizona, calling them “great programs.” He added the game between the two teams was a good watch. In the game in question, the Wildcats stomped the Trojans 82-67 and improved to 13-4. The Trojans are now left reeling at 8-10.
Bronny James’ college career so far
Earlier this month, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Lakers 127-113 and handed them their fourth loss on the trot. The mood in the team’s locker room was grim, to say the least, at the time with LeBron James in particular left frustrated. Seeing this, teammate Austin Reaves tried to change the subject and asked him whether his son Bronny would start for the Trojans against Stanford.
James responded that he thought it was time for him to start games after coming off the bench in his first six games. He even claimed Bronny could play for the Lakers right now, despite the Trojans star scoring just two points in 19 minutes against the Stanford Cardinals.
Bronny’s career as a Trojan has gotten off to a slow start. He missed the team’s first eight games to recover from the heart attack he suffered in July due to a congenital heart defect. Since making his debut for USC in December, he has played ten games, eight of which saw him come off the bench. At this current moment, he is averaging 5.9 points, along with 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest.
After Isiah Collier, USC’s second-highest scorer and top assist-provider suffered a hand injury in their loss against Washington State, Bronny was promoted to the starting lineup. Unfortunately for the young star, he failed to capitalize on the opportunity as he had a disastrous night. Going scoreless for the second straight game, he grabbed just two rebounds and provided no more than one assist in his team’s loss.
He broke his scoring duck against the Arizona Wildcats on Wednesday. He scored an impressive 11 points, provided six assists, and grabbed five rebounds in a much better individual performance, despite his team’s 12-point loss. Bronny looked more comfortable in his second start as a Trojan.
However, his numbers and form suggest his father’s claim that he was ready to play for the Lakers was wildly off the mark. That said, he is still just 19 years old at the moment and has the IQ to learn quite a bit in a short period of time. It likely won’t be very long before he finally gets out of his slump and starts performing at an impressive level for the USC Trojans, something the school direly needs at the moment.
