Bronny James ready for pressure after ‘surreal’ Los Angeles Lakers move

LOS ANGELES – Bronny James said on July 2 he is ready to deal with the pressure of playing alongside his National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar father LeBron as he was formally unveiled by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 19-year-old former University of Southern California (USC) player, chosen by the Lakers on June 27 with the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, will form the first father-and-son double act in NBA history when he suits up for the Lakers next season.

That prospect was solidified when LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, agreed to sign a two-year maximum contract, worth US$104 million (S$141 million), to return to the Lakers, according to multiple reports on July 3.

The Lakers’ move for Bronny has been greeted with scepticism in some quarters, with pundits questioning whether the Lakers would have drafted him if he was not LeBron’s eldest son.

Bronny, with LeBron standing in the background, addressed those criticisms directly in the July 2 press conference at the Lakers training facility at El Segundo.

“It’s for sure an amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it – social media and... the internet and stuff talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity. But, you know, I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different. It’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.”

Bronny, who was unveiled along with fellow draftee Dalton Knecht, 23, was handed his signature yellow and purple Lakers jersey for the first time. He will wear a No. 9 shirt next season emblazoned with “James Jr” on it.

“Everything has been surreal, trying to take it all in,” Bronny said about the whirl of emotions he has experienced since being drafted by the Lakers.

Bronny said he had not gone into detail about his hopes for his rookie season in talks with his father, who will turn 40 in December in what will be his record-tying 22nd season in the NBA.

Bronny appeared with Lakers new head coach J.J. Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka, and expressed gratitude to the front office for “everything (they) have given to me”.

That drew a clarification from Redick, who himself was controversially appointed to helm the Lakers in June despite never having coached in the league.

“I want to clarify one thing that you just said, which is Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick said, insisting that the younger James had been recruited on merit. “Bronny has earned this. Bronny talks about his hard work. Bronny has earned this through hard work. We view Bronny as like Case Study One, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there is a lot to like about his game. He’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”

However, The Athletic reported that the Lakers are breaking NBA norms by guaranteeing the rookie contract for Bronny. They said Bronny is signing a multi-year contract. Typically, contracts for second-round draft picks are not guaranteed.

Bronny, who suffered cardiac arrest while practising with USC during pre-season in July 2023, said the possibility of playing alongside his father was not a “main focus” of being drawn to the Lakers.

“Rob has told me there’s a great development system here, so I just want to come in and put my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad, but that’s always there... but that wasn’t a main focus,” he said.

He added that the 2023 health scare, which restricted his appearances in college basketball, had made him determined to make a success of his NBA move.

“The time that I had off, I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more,” he said. “Yeah, I just feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at USC.” AFP, REUTERS