The Los Angeles Lakers rookie introductory press conference was quite the affair. Along with the No. 17 pick, Dalton Knect, and No. 55 pick, Bronny James, Rob Pelinka, and JJ Redick fielded the reporters’ questions. Along for the ride was none other than LeBron James, standing on the sidelines and simply taking it all in. We don’t have to tell you that most of the questions to Bronny revolved around playing with his father, each one rephrased slightly differently.

But that’s old news. The more interesting part of the press conference was what the Lakers’ new head coach had to say. A refresher, perhaps? “Bronny has earned this through hard work and for us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as case study one. Because his base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game.” 

Well, that was nice. And exactly what media veteran, Rob Parker, said after his co-host Chris Broussard played it for him. But that was the only nice thing he said. The rest was Parker ripping into not Bronny, but JJ. Why, though? “I don’t believe one thing that came out of JJ Redick’s mouth!” the former columnist emphatically stated.

In the latest episode of The Odd Couple with Chris Broussard & Rob Parker, the latter had just one decisive question for Coach Redick and the Lakers. “Why didn’t you take him in the 1st round pick?” They were the ones who spoke glowingly of the talents and skills that Bronny brought with him.

The message the Purple & Gold were trying to get out was that despite Bronny’s underwhelming performance at USC, he was part of the 15-man roster because he earned his place. Yes, there was the cardiac arrest episode, and that significantly put him behind. However, that never stopped the young guard from putting in the work. And that was also the reason LAL decided it was prudent to give the second-round rookie a multi-year, guaranteed contract.

But Rob Parker wasn’t falling for it. For any of it, in fact.

“He thinks that people are dumb!”: Parker is not letting JJ Redick or LeBron James off the hook that easy

The veteran analyst truly has no patience for Redick’s claims. And he let the former NBA player know it, too. “The more JJ Redick speaks, the less I respect what he has to say because he thinks that people are dumb! You could say we wanted Bronny. But to act as if LeBron had nothing to do with this. And this was just on Bronny’s four points at USC? … You lose some respect [because] there’s a lot of basketball people out there that know the game.”

In all honesty, it has been a point of contention throughout the year. The 19-year-old could never catch a break since his return from hospital. His stat line of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman at USC didn’t help his case, either. The McDonald’s All-American was the final straw that put the target on his back.

Scout reports and analysts all had Bronny as a borderline draft pick if he was lucky enough to get drafted, that is. Despite it all, as the time for Draft Night got closer, nearly everyone was sure that the Lakers would sign Bronny with their second-round pick. And that was exactly what happened. Just like that, James Jr. was once again thrust into the spotlight.

Hence, Rob and Chris both find it difficult to believe all this would have happened if it weren’t for the fact that his father was LeBron. “It’s just a fact now,” Broussard stated.

The circumstances are certainly not in favor of Bronny James. But he is officially an NBA player now. And the ball is in his court, literally and figuratively. The criticisms and scrutiny will keep coming no matter what he does. However, the one thing that No. 9 is in control of is his career. Young James finally has the chance to create an identity for himself. Not just as LeBron’s son. Rather, a full-fledged basketball player in his own right.

Hopefully, a time will come when LeBron James will be known as Bronny James’ father and not the other way around.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.