Ex-Lakers Star Points Finger at LeBron James for ‘Bipolar’ Bronny James Remark

The allure of the NBA is inescapable. Millions of kids have the dream of playing in the NBA, widely considered as the pinnacle of the sport. However, only a select few get the privilege of playing in the league. For Bronny James, it was almost written in the stars that he would go on to play in the NBA. Many believed he would take on the mantle of the ‘face of the league’ from his old man, LeBron James.

However, things haven’t gone according to the script for Bronny. He has struggled to perform at a level that many had expected in his relatively young collegiate career for the USC Trojans. Things especially grew bleaker with the latest ESPN draft projections for both 2024 and 2025, which saw LeBron James coming to the defense of Bronny James. However, former Laker Andrew Bogut has pointed fingers at James for Bronny’s current predicament. During a recent episode of the Rogue Bogues podcast, Bogut said, “Bit of bipolar there in my opinion… You’re the one that put pressure on your own son bro.”

He particularly pointed out James’ effort from a now-deleted tweet that read, “Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball.” Andrew Bogut said that this seems an effort too late, and, in many ways, contrasting to LBJ’s own previous antics. The former Laker also highlighted the time when King James compared Bronny James to NBA players and said his son could play better than them. This was something even renowned ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith had pointed out.

Andrew Bogut further went on to suggest that Bronny might not be even ready for the NBL. He said, “I don’t even know if he’s an NBL player. I don’t know if he’s coming over here (Australia) and playing big minutes.” However, could Bronny prove Andrew Bogut wrong?

Bronny James and his NBA Draft stocks

It’s safe to suggest that Bronny’s draft stock currently is at an all-time low. Before the start of the 2023-24 season, multiple mock drafts had Bronny projected as a jackpot in the 2024 NBA Draft. But according to ESPN’s latest projections, Bronny could go undrafted in 2024 only to become a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But that always wasn’t the case.

Several mock drafts last season had Bronny James as a shoo-in for the lottery pick. During his senior year for Sierra Canyon, Bronny averaged 14 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Moreover, experts and analysts were very impressed by his intangibles and defensive upside.

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While Bronny’s stats have taken a massive dip in his freshman NCAA season with the USC Trojans, other aspects of his game like elite athleticism and high defensive upside remain intact. It’s true that Bronny isn’t ready for the NBA as of now, but he might blossom into a valuable combo guard for an NBA team in the future. Although Bronny is eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft, several experts and analysts feel he would remain at USC and play another season of collegiate basketball. What are your thoughts? Is Bronny ready for the NBA? Let us know in the comments below!