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LeBron James offered some encouragement to one of his newest Los Angeles Lakers teammates.
That teammate just so happens to be his son.
The King took to Instagram on Wednesday and told Bronny James to block out all the outside “hate” and “noise” as he prepares for his rookie season in the NBA:
There has been plenty of noise surrounding the younger James this offseason, as he limited his workouts with other teams ahead of the NBA draft and ended up going to the Lakers in the second round at No. 55 overall.
Los Angeles having his famous father was surely more than just a coincidence and generated plenty of reaction from basketball fans.
Bronny James also didn’t exactly dominate during his one collegiate season at USC, raising questions about whether he would have been drafted at all if it wasn’t for his father. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from deep with the Trojans.
Those are hardly the numbers of an NBA draft prospect, although there is important context missing from the stats.
For one, he suffered cardiac arrest during the summer before the 2023-24 campaign and made his debut after the season started. He was playing catch-up from the beginning and never truly found his footing.
What’s more, James was a 5-star recruit, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, which hints at his potential as he heads to the NBA level.
Perhaps playing alongside stars like his father and Anthony Davis will help him unlock some of that potential, as he will never be the focal point of opposing defenses and should have plenty of space to operate.
Given that reality, he is surely working on his three-point shot as he looks to make an impact as an NBA rookie.
