After the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in the NBA Draft, he was subjected to scrutiny that very few will ever experience. His father, LeBron James, described Bronny's mindset when it comes to criticism that is completely different from his.
“I don't know if people really understand Bronny,” James said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “He doesn't care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. … He doesn't give a f**k.”
Bronny James has received a lot of criticism due to the Lakers drafting him while having his father on the roster. There are a lot of accusations being thrown out there, but Bronny does not care about any of it, according to his father.
“He does not care about nobody. He doesn't even listen to that stuff,” LeBron James added. “He's like the coolest. He's like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care. … Everything that's being said about him, he really does not care.”
It is a unique situation for Bronny, joining the Lakers of all teams, who have his father, one of, if not the greatest NBA player of all time on the team. Expectations are high for the Lakers every season, and every season that LeBron on the team is essentially going to be championship or bust. Bronny will have to provide some value eventually to not receive heavy criticism.
It is rare that a second-round pick overshadows a first-round pick, but in this case it has happened. Bronny is getting more attention than Dalton Knecht, who was seen as a very good pick by the Lakers out of Tennessee.
LeBron and Bronny James separated by different goals
At the current moment, both Bronny and his father are focused on very different things. LeBron is with Team USA preparing for the Olympics, with the first game coming up on July 28. He will try to help bring home another gold medal
Bronny is focusing on Summer League with the Lakers and trying to get acclimated to the organization to maximize his abilities this upcoming season.
LeBron will be a key player for Team USA from a leadership standpoint and on the court. He has won gold medals before with Team USA, so players can lean on him. Whether he is starting or coming off of the bench, he is still very impactful on the court as well.
Bronny did not play in the Lakers' game on Sunday, but he should be back in the lineup for their next game. It will be interesting to see how he fares in Summer League, even though the games are not very indicative of what will happen at the NBA level.
It will be worth watching Summer League and the Olympics to see how both fare in their current goals.
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