Bronny James’ claim that playing with his father wasn’t a thought that crossed his mind during his introductory press conference certainly raised some eyebrows.
That’s especially true considering his agent Rich Paul’s reported strategy, warning teams that Bronny would play in Australia if a team other than the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him. Now, Bronny playing with his father, LeBron James, is generally a cool thing. But pretending like the stars aligned for it to happen rather than behind-the-scenes string-pulling has rubbed some people the wrong way, including FS1’s Craig Carton.
Carton pointed out how three of Southern Cal’s top-four scorers (Boogie Ellis, DJ Rodman and Joshua Morgan) went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, with Isaiah Collier (taken No. 29 overall by the Utah Jazz) as the lone exception. And yet, Bronny, who averaged 4.8 points in 25 games during his freshman season, was selected.
“These are the other guys on the USC roster last year. Isaiah Collier is a first-round draft pick. So, he got drafted,” says Carton. “But the other three guys — Rodman, Morgan and Boogie Ellis — none of them got drafted, and all of them are better than you. But it never dawned on you? Like, c’mon man. I was born at night, but I wasn’t born last night.
“And it’s this kind of stuff that makes people hate the James family. And I feel bad for the kid because he’s putting himself in more harm’s way. And it’s just ridiculous, it really is. It’s stupid.”
Whether Bronny’s comments were genuine or a strategic move to deflect pressure remains to be seen. But Carton wasn’t the only one on The Carton Show who called foul on Bronny’s comments, as longtime NBA guard Eddie House took aim at the narrative.
“There was a whole lot of lying going on yesterday — a whole lot of lying,” said House. “I won’t say that Bronny, per se, was lying, not thinking about playing with his dad…Maybe when he was playing, he didn’t think about it, but over the last couple of years, he had to have it on his mind. So, those are things that you don’t really have to say, because it then it falls as not true.
“The same thing with JJ Redick. He didn’t have to say that Bronny earned it. We know that Bronny worked hard. And it’s not like he got a first-round draft pick. He’s a 55th pick, almost the last pick in the draft, so it’s not like they went crazy to draft him. He was sitting at 55, they went and picked him. He got a guaranteed contract, which is great for him.
“But JJ Redick, the truth, wasn’t nowhere near him when he was saying that there were no favors being done. We all know it was definitely some backdoor conversations and some things that were said to make sure Bronny was going to be drafted to the Lakers.
These comments don’t seem to be doing Bronny any favors, as he’ll have to prove himself on the court while navigating the complex realities of being a legacy pick in the NBA.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.