LeBron James blames press for Bronny being dropped out of mock drafts: ‘Let the kid be a kid’

Posted by Matt February 27, 2024 5 Min Read

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It’s no secret that LeBron James wishes to play alongside his eldest son Bronny before he retires. Ever since last season, when the teenager was still in high school, the superstar has been expressing his wish to share an NBA court with him. Despite most fans hoping this will come true, experts believe this is giving the youngster too much pressure. 

However, the 19-year-old has struggled in his first experiences in college basketball, mostly due to the fact that he suffered a heart issue during the summer and started his season late as he recovered. As reports suggest that the USC guard has fallen off the mock drafts for the NBA, LeBron blamed the media for chastising his son’s future.

The Lakers forward sounded off on social media and then deleted the posts shortly after. “Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” he started out.

“The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do,” James wrote after learning Bronny was being placed on the 2025 mock drafts. “If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”

The all-time NBA scoring leader then added a second post: “And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding. These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared early this week that he’s convinced LeBron is looking for a multiyear deal in Los Angeles this summer. “I don’t think this is LeBron’s last stand. I don’t think this is the Lakers’ last stand,” the insider said on Monday. “First off, I think LeBron is angling to sign a multiyear deal in the offseason with the Lakers that will be nine figures. That will be even bigger than the deal he is on now.

“Now, whether or not he’s able to finish that deal, whether or not the Lakers want to give him a three-year contract and pay him $60 million when he’s 42 years old, that’s a different discussion.”

Experts believe that James’ social media outbursts are hurting his son’s career rather than helping him

After the superstar’s latest remarks on social media, which he fortunately deleted later, many NBA analysts have joined in saying that they believe this is creating even more pressure. Even though LeBron blames the press, he’s the one creating stories and more buzz around his son’s future when he interacts.

Skip Bayless explained why he believes that James’ actions are only adding pressure to Bronny. “I have the outmost respect for how much he loves this kid,” the expert started out. “I think he took there tweets down because he’s like ‘I overreacted here, I should leave it alone because I’m bringing more attention to it.’”

Kendrick Perkins was another who dedicated words of advice for the 39-year-old, but couldn’t hold in criticism while he was at it. “He’s gonna have to be patient and be willing to sacrifice,” the former athlete advised.

“Let Bronny be Bronny, he’s not going to be his father and that’s ok,” Perk kept at it. “Just let the young man breathe.  We don’t want to force anything, let’s not force this young man’s livelihood or his development so that he can go play with LeBron.”