Source: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty
LeBron James is not pleased with the Los Angeles Lakers’ current struggles, stating that his son Bronny James can play for them “right now.”
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a concerning losing streak, and the frustration that their superstar LeBron James is feeling has prompted him to make a bold claim that his son Bronny, a freshman at the University of Southern California, could actually step in and help the team out immediately.
According to Claire De Lune of the Guardian, the 21-year veteran was not in a great mood after the Lakers lost 127-113 to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday (Jan. 5). When asked about the effects of winning the inaugural in-season tournament on the streak by a reporter, James bluntly responded, “I’m not thinking that far back in the past. It was just two games. We suck right now.” When teammate Austin Reaves asked him about Bronny’s game at USC the following day and if he’d be starting, LeBron stated it was time before adding, “he could play for us right now. Easy. EASY.”
Bronny James recently made his collegiate basketball debut over four months after suffering an episode of cardiac arrest last July. While playing limited minutes in seven games, the 19-year-old was averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.1 minutes.
When queried by the press before their most recent game against Stanford University, USC head coach Andy Enfield said of Bronny’s progress: “He’s a freshman, [and] this was his sixth game. He’s developing as a player and it’s nice to see and nice to watch. He’s a typical freshman but he had a little disadvantage over most freshmen where he was out for five months and had to come back in midseason. It’s very hard to do.”
LeBron has expressed wanting to play with Bronny as well as his brother Bryce in the NBA before he retires, even having the idea incorporated into a Beats by Dre commercial. Presently, a mock draft for 2024 conducted by CBS Sports analyst Kyle Boone has Bronny’s teammate, freshman point guard Isaiah Collier as the top pick. The consensus is that Bronny would be a solid player in the league, just not right away. Meanwhile, LeBron is putting up a terrific season at age 39, averaging 25.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
