Bronny James, drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, says he has the shoulders to handle the criticism and the immense pressure of playing with the team of his father, superstar LeBron James.
Bronny James, the son of star LeBron James, said Tuesday he is ready to handle the pressure after joining the Los Angeles Lakers, where he is expected to play with his father next season. The 19-year-old, who will begin his NBA career in the fall from the University of Southern California (USC), is expected to form the first father-son duo in league history with LeBron James next season after being selected 55th overall in the draft last week.
“I’ll manage to deal with that”
“It’s definitely more pressure,” he said Tuesday at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo about the opportunity to play with his father, who will be entering his 22nd professional season before turning 40 in December. “I’ve seen on social media … things about how I don’t deserve this opportunity … But you know I’ve always dealt with this kind of thing, so it’s business as usual. Just a little bigger, of course. But I’ll get through it.”
“It’s all been unreal,” added Bronny, whose No. 9 jersey will be emblazoned with “James Jr.” about the emotions he’s felt since his draft announcement. “Bronny deserves what’s coming to him, after working hard,” assured the new coach of the historic NBA franchise JJ Redick, who is close to LeBron James, who was also present.
“His understanding of the game, his physicality, his shooting skills, his passing skills, there are a lot of interesting things in his game. He will have the opportunity to become a very good NBA player,” added the technician. The young player and his novice coach are expected during two summer tournaments (Summer League) from July 6 to 10 in San Francisco and then from July 12 to 22 in Las Vegas.
