Kwame Brown Expands Upon Why He’s Lost Respect For Bronny And LeBron James

The entry of Bronny James into the NBA as a second-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Lakers divided opinions. While a handful deemed him worthy of being in the league, several pointed out his father LeBron James‘ influence in his selection. Kwame Brown has been a part of the latter narrative since the beginning, before expanding upon his thoughts recently.

During a recent episode of Kwame Brown Bust Life podcast, the host shared his two cents on the situation. The 42-year-old candidly talked about the privilege Bronny received from the start before calling out both him and his father. Brown subsequently discussed how he had lost respect for the duo, declaring,

“I can’t respect the fact that this kid [Bronny] has no pressure of being waived…All he has to do is go out there and play and they still are making excuses for him…I thought LeBron [James] mind the game. If you mind the game, then you respect the game and you don’t do s**t like this…That’s the reason why he dropped way off my GOAT list…You don’t make moves like this where a kid in no way shape or form or fashion should be in the league”.

The harshness remained justified to a certain extent, especially considering the events leading up to the draft. Despite having an underwhelming rookie year with the USC Trojans, Bronny declared for the draft. This shocked the NBA community as his average of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists was unworthy of a selection in the league.

However, James allegedly pulled the strings from behind the scenes. This made Bronny’s entry to the Lakers look effortless while doing an injustice to the standards around the NBA. This dynamic frustrated Brown, prompting him to question James’ ethics and morale as an all-time great.

Amidst the tension, Bronny James gained support

During a recent conversation with SiriusXM NBA Radio, the Lakers head coach, JJ Redick, backed the teenager. Admitting to the 19-year-old’s scope for development, he opened up about the possible role of Bronny in his system. Admiring his potential shortly after, the 40-year-old stated,

“He is a development player. That’s how we’re looking at Bronny…Right now what we’re looking for is defensive ball pressure. I told him, ‘I don’t care if you have ten fouls, I don’t care if you get blown by. What I do care about is if you’re on the ball and you’re three feet off the ball. You have to be a guy that’s a ball hawk at all times’…He has already got a great feel. He has a really good instinctive nature on the defensive end”.

So, the Lakers undoubtedly had a proper plan for the youngster. That said, the latter still needs to fight an uphill battle to reach the mountaintop. After all, the pressure on his shoulders is unlikely to decrease anytime soon, building the premise for an interesting future.