Bronny James finally opens up about how 'hard' it is to be LeBron's son
It's never been easy being the son of a legend, especially if you want to follow in his footsteps, as the road is full of unfair comparisons and high expectations. For the first time since he decided to jump into professional basketball, Bronny James admitted that it is “hard” to be LeBron's oldest son.
The 19-year-old has been in the news a lot lately, especially since he declared for the 2024 NBA Draft last month, despite not having the best freshman campaign at USC. The star revealed some of the challenges he faced growing up in his father's shadow.
“I get a lot of criticism, but you know, I have to deal with it,” he said. “[My critics] I don't know what I went through… I'm trying to do my best [the] the opportunities that have been given to me.”
Bronny James says it's 'tough' to be the son of an all-time superstar
“It's difficult. Most of the criticism comes from me”
(🎥 @SiriusXMNBA )
– NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2024
One of the biggest doubts he has avoided so far, is that he decided to jump from the college level to the pros after only one campaign. “You know, I always want to end up where I'm happiest,” Bronny began. “[My] My mom has always told me that she knows, 'take me where my heart wants me to be,' and I just found joy in what I'm doing right now, and I feel like that's where I want to be.”
After playing in 25 games for the University of Southern California this season, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 19.4 minutes per contest. His shots from the field hit 36.6% of the time, while he shot 26.7% from beyond the arc.
“I made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and I will also enter the NCAA transfer portal,” he said last month when announcing his next move. “Thank you to USC for an amazing freshman year, and as always thank you to my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”
James was also asked if basketball was the only sport he ever thought of playing, but the answer was simple for him. “I mean I have played other games,” he revealed. “I played football. [I] he was not allowed to play football. My mother did not allow that. So, I've always been a sports guy, but basketball was just my cup of tea.”
Scouts and experts delivered mixed reviews on Bronny's early showings at the NBA Draft Combine
Even though James impressed scouts at the NBA Draft Combine, which was held last week in Chicago, there are still concerns about the young man's ability to work as a professional.
A recently published article by Crying, they mention how an unknown general manager in the NBA said “Bronny is not ready at all.” According to the source, he also recommended that he “go back to school to improve his speed or risk losing his way, even if he is playing with his father.”
LeBron expressed his desire to play with his son last year, but then told reporters during the NBA All-Star Game Weekend that he preferred to “let the kid play. [his own] decision,” and don't pressure him into something he's not ready for.
Last month, the 19-year-old admitted that the past year has not been easy, especially since he suffered a heart attack last summer, which prevented him from starting his new campaign. “I had an eventful year, but everything added to my growth as a man, a student and an athlete,” he wrote on social media.
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