Is Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, ever going to be free from criticism? Maybe, but that day is yet to arrive. Ever since the Lakers drafted the 19-year-old as the 55 overall pick, the player has been put under a much sharper microscopic lens. Having observed Bronny’s recent performances, NBA enthusiasts are certainly not being left impressed.

Yesterday, as part of the ongoing Summer League games, the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Houston Rockets. The matchup saw Bronny recording his all-time high score of the summer league. Unfortunately, that score was also just 8 points! On top of that, his best shooting output could only go up to 3-14, a success rate of 21%. While the young player did add five defensive rebounds and two steals to his overall score, he also went 0-8 three-pointers. Suffice it to say that while Bronny was showing some resilience on the defensive side, his offensive play was not anything noteworthy.

Bronny James’ continuing streak of abysmal performance has caused fans to dig up an old tweet that his father, LeBron James, wrote back in March 2023. Having viewed a couple of NBA League pass games taking place back then, the Lakers star had proceeded to write “Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching on league pass today.  Sh*t lightweight hilarious.” Either the All-Time NBA scorer was not impressed with the performance of his rival players, or he was confident about his son’s potential, who was in his senior year at Sierra Canyon High School.

No sooner had Bronny’s matchup with the Rockets ended when the tweet was suddenly trending again. While no new remarks reached the comments section, the retweets saw a significant increase. This highlighted that the tables have turned. Even though Bronny is still yet to make a regular season debut, his recent performances have convinced fans that the young star will be no better off when competing against an elite field of NBA players.

Fans React to Bronny James’s never-ending streak of poor performances

No sooner had the tweet highlighting Bronny James’s 8-point run started going viral when people descended onto the comments section to make their voices heard. One of them refused to believe that what the 19-year-old was dropping was worth the “millions” that the Lakers chose to spend on acquiring him.

Being the 55 overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft, Bronny James was not expected to receive a higher-paying contract than his other rookie counterparts. Despite this, he was still signed with the Lakers under a 4-year $7.89 million contract, with almost $4.4 million of it being guaranteed. Isaiah Wong, the 55th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, signed a two-way contract worth $559,782 with the Indiana Pacers. This means that Bronny is set to earn 14 times more than Wong during his rookie season.

Another individual proceeded to roast both the father and son with a single remark. She proceeded to comment that with his performance, Bronny was setting the same average stat as LeBron did during the NBA Finals.

This remark was a reference to Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals, which marked LeBron James’ first one alongside the Miami Heat. The game saw one of the worst performances coming from the future four-time NBA champion, as he could only secure 8 points to his name by going 3-11 with his field goals, 0-3 with his three-pointers, and 2-4 with his free throws. The Heat lost the game by 86-83 and came a little closer to losing the Finals series entirely.

Amidst all the criticism, however, some chose to defend the 19-year-old. One fan remarked that there is no doubt that Bronny’s performance was nothing short of humiliating. At the same time, however, he emphasized that his performance in the Summer League Games should not be an indication of the future, since this is the stage where Bronny hones his skills.

This performance against the Houston Rockets comes just as the Lakers concluded the California Classic part of the Summer League, in which they all lost all three of their games. Bronny James’ first-ever game concluded with him scoring just 4 points, missing all three-pointers, with 22 minutes of court time. LeBron James, who wasn’t present due to being preoccupied at the Team USA training camp, defended his son by stating “You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it once the season starts. The only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days.”

Another social media user highlighted that Bronny should be given a break in light of his heart problems.

It has been almost a year now since Bronny James scared the basketball world by going into cardiac arrest during a USC training session. While he was out of the hospital within three days, his play time was severely limited, and his minutes were kept under check. This may have impacted his abysmal stats at USC, and what may be affecting him at the moment as well.

Overall, the reactions were mixed. While some continued their criticism of the young James, others sympathized and held the belief that better days are yet to come. Whose opinion do you stand with? Let us know in the comments down below.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.