The Lakers drafting Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft has been a divisive subject. Many believe the franchise picked him to retain LeBron James’ services and had it not been for his father’s influence, he wouldn’t have been drafted. However, his teammate D’Angelo Russell has dismissed that take.
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During a conversation with Garrett Clark, the guard called out Bronny’s detractors and claimed that he was being judged too harshly due to his last name. He backed the young star and claimed his father’s guidance would ensure he became a key contributor in the league. Russell said,
“You hating on that is just lowballing to me…If you make it [in the NBA] you have a chance to be the guy that they say ‘Oh, he wasn’t this, wasn’t that’ and end up being like the best guy because they didn’t expect you to. But you’re here now, so, the work starts now.”
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Russell added that Bronny already has the blueprint to succeed in the NBA, mapped by his father. He claimed that if the young guard trains with the same dedication that James has for over two decades, there’s no doubt that he’d have a stellar career.
Bronny is seemingly already following Russell’s advice and has been training arduously with his father to prepare for his rookie season. While the guard has been laser-focused, James is still having difficulties coping with the fact that his son is now his teammate.
LeBron James talks about playing with Bronny James
During his appearance on the GoJo & Golic podcast last week, LeBron spoke about being in the gym with Bronny for the first time as his teammate. The four-time NBA champion described it as one of the greatest experiences of his life. He said,
“This week we got back to the gym and it was really the first time that me and Bronny were on the floor, as professionals, training, going against each other, preparing for the season. I had a couple of moments where I lost focus and I’m not used to losing focus when I’m on the floor but it was a couple of times when I was looking to the side and just watching him prepare.”
The four-time MVP stated that he’s excited for the new season and to be on the floor with the young guard. He added that he is hoping they’ll have a great season and Bronny will learn a lot in his rookie year.
