A contender for the GOAT title, approaching the longest NBA career and still winning MVPs — LeBron James is clearly still enjoying peak NBA stardom. But none of this comes without a cost, and Bron has been criticized on various fronts, some of which don’t make much sense. Nonetheless, one of the most recent ones is associated with his son’s selection in the NBA. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, whose relationship with The King has deteriorated over the months, has made some bold claims regarding Bronny’s 2024 draft selection.

The discussion was going on between Richard Jefferson and other Road Trippin’ co-hosts about LeBron’s stardom being of such magnitude that his movement from the East to the West Coast has seen massive changes in ratings for ESPN. And how covering James ultimately meant higher ratings. But then Perkins took the conversation in a different direction altogether, alleging in a way how this stardom is misused.

“That motherf*cker Bron is so powerful. The [2024] draft, we had to talk about his son Bronny just to keep people engaged,” Perkins said on the podcast. Jefferson tried pacifying the statement by terming this as a difference between being a superstar and a megastar. But it seemed Perk wanted to stick to his point. He argued that James is so powerful that the media had to talk about Bronny in order to keep people interested and ratings the way they were.

From what it seems from Perk’s statement, the media is doing this for its own benefit rather than any favor to Bron or his son. However, this is not the first instance that the former Boston Celtics star has been vocal about this. During his appearance on NBA Today, the ESPN analyst appealed that the media should stop with the extensive coverage of Bronny James when there are more deserving players who deserve this attention.

“The lottery guys, the guys that are actually going to get drafted in the first round. We’re talking about a young man that’s possibly going to go late second round or not get drafted at all,” he said. But two of his own co-hosts disagreed with the notion.

The counterargument was that considering the legacy the 4x NBA champ has built, it’s only natural for his son to reap some benefits from it. Especially when the media is doing it for its own ratings more than anything else. Additionally, the ex-Celtics star’s opinion may seem biased to some fans, because of his past controversy with The King.

“Bron weaseling his way”: What was the recent controversy between LeBron James and Kendrick Perkins

It all started with the Los Angeles Lakers star praising Kyrie Irving in May earlier this year. The 4x NBA champ expressed his happiness at Irving’s growth and disappointment at not playing by his side anymore. For some reason, this did not go well with Perk and he came down on Bron, bashing him.

“Here we go again… Bron weaseling his way into somebody else’s moment. Like, this is not about you… Yet, you’re so mad and disappointed that you’re not Kyrie Irving’s running mate anymore,” Perk said. Interestingly, though, Bron was just replying to a question posed by JJ Redick regarding Irving.

Failing to grasp where Perkins’ opinion came from, the Lakers icon simply blocked Kendrick Perkins from his social media handles. The ex-Celtics star responded that he would be fine since not everyone followed Jesus. But this got him severe criticism for the comparison. So far, there are no reports of the two stars being back on talking terms. The recent allegation by Perk regarding Bron’s power does not seem to be of any help in this regard.       

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.