“I’m trying to get my name out for myself,” Bronny James said this last year after being selected as the 55th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. But did he ever imagine what would come next? Probably not. Playing alongside his father, LeBron James came sky-high expectations, endless comparisons, and relentless scrutiny. Now as many predicted, Bronny is at the center of controversy. Fans and analysts neither are backing down, questioning his place in the league and calling out his below-average performance. But while most are piling on, Carmelo Anthony just pointed out the real reason why Bronny is struggling.

In the G League, Bronny’s numbers are not bad. 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Good for a rookie right? But the NBA, that’s a whole different level. Here, raw talent has already been molded into perfection, and Bronny is just a rookie trying to find his place. When the $7.1 billion franchise drafted Bronny, they took a wild bet. Instead of letting him develop in the G League, they threw him straight into the NBA, believing real growth comes from top-level competition. And sure, that logic isn’t entirely wrong. But the real picture is that not everyone is Sheldon Cooper, mastering the theory of relativity at 12. And Carmelo pointed that out in his own way.

Now, with NBA averages of just 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game, Bronny is really under fire. Analysts like Stephen A. Smith are questioning if he truly belongs in the league. Is it nepotism? Is LeBron’s legacy keeping him in purple and gold? Carmelo Anthony, however, sees things differently. On a recent episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, Melo broke it down quite easily. He said, “At a young age the only way you are getting better is by playing by playing so they put a lot on him by saying he is not going to play in G league… And because of that people is holding you now at NBA level”. 

Carmelo believes the most unfair thing is that “he (Bronny) don’t get the chance to prove himself, he get thrown out there for 5 minutes, he gets exposed”. And Carmelo is spot on. Just consider the latest match he played for L.A.; in an 118-89 loss to the Bucks, Bronny racked up 17 points (7-10 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one block his biggest show ever. They key to it all: 30 minutes off the bench.

So think about it. Most rookies get G League minutes, refining their game before making the NBA jump. Bronny didn’t get that. Instead, he’s being judged against fully developed stars while still figuring things out for himself.  That’s just setting him up for unfair criticism.

Carmelo Anthony peeks into Bronny & Zaire’s playbook to map out Kiyan’s life’s move

Carmelo Anthony knows the NBA grind better than most. But now, it’s his son’s turn to chase the dream. Kiyan Anthony like his father has his eyes set on the league. But being a celebrity kid comes with extra baggage, higher expectations, constant scrutiny, and comparisons he never signed up for. He’s not the first one to walk on this road. Bronny James and Zaire Wade have already walked this path, each forging their own way under the weight of their fathers’ legacies. And for Melo, that’s exactly why Kiyan has the best seat in the house.

“Kiyan is the one that’s sitting back and being able to learn from those two right it’s like okay I want to go this route I want to go that I don’t want to do this I don’t want to do that. So we have an opportunity to really be strategic on how we move through this process,”  Carmelo explained this during his appearance at the ‘Meet the Afroballers’ podcast.

Carmelo’s take makes sense. Unlike Bronny and Zaire, who had to figure things out on the fly, Kiyan has a blueprint. He can see what worked, what didn’t, and carve out his own path without the same growing pains. But with all this knowledge in front of him, can he change his route or not? Only time will tell.