While the focus recently in the James household has been on LeBron James Sr., Junior has been stringing together some impressive play in the G-League recently. Bronny, as most would call him, has averaged a shade under 22 points per game in 34 minutes across 11 contests this year.
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Considering his draft slot at 55th overall, that is a huge development and would mean to most that Bronny is more than capable of playing at the highest level.
Unfortunately, Charles Barkley is not included in “most”. Despite the initial optics, though, it doesn’t seem like it comes from a place of hate. Instead of having an issue with Bronny being called up to the NBA, Barkley has a problem with him being called up if he’s not going to play.
“I think it was a great story for them to go on the court together, but he should be in the G League. You don’t get better sitting on the bench,” said Barkley while on the Dan Patrick Show.
Despite this, however, Bronny continues to set career highs as he did on March 20th, with 17 points against the Bucks in the NBA, before dropping 39 points in his return to the G-League on the 26th.
Bronny has played over ten minutes only four times since his initial call-up in January, further adding some value to Barkley’s argument. But in the NBA, the only opinion that matters is that of his head coach, and JJ Redick is more than satisfied with the way the USC alum has been playing.
Bronny James has a fan in JJ Redick
JJ Reddick has stood by Bronny since the 20-year-old was drafted in October of 2024.
“Since day one, I’ve just been impressed with the person that he is,” said Reddick during a post-game press conference, “And to deal with, frankly, bull**** because of who his dad is and just keep a level head about it.”
Reddick’s belief does not just extend to the strength of Bronny James’ character, but to his on-court abilities as well. One of his earliest quotes in training camp was, “He was certainly going to be an NBA player, and I still believe that he’ll be an NBA player.”
He’s also proven how much he believes in the rookie, as he’s called him up for multiple road games for the Lakers. The latest was their last-second win over the Pacers in Indiana, after which the guard went back to fulfilling his obligations with the South Bay Lakers.
