The Los Angeles Lakers‘ choice to select Bronny James late in the 2024 NBA Draft cannot be changed, erased, or reversed — and so the debate continues over whether LeBron James‘ son is cut out to be an NBA player amid the Lakers‘ efforts to handle his development “correctly”.
The plan always has been clear, at least somewhat. The Lakers drafted Bronny (and then handed him a four-year contract worth nearly $8 million) knowing he was not ready for the Association. With that in mind, the goal was for Bronny to get regular minutes in the developmental G League, with the South Bay Lakers. But a couple new factors are inhibiting Bronny from playing all the minutes the Lakers expressed hope he would play — and it is now causing tension inside and outside of the organization.
Former NFL star puts Bronny on blast
Ryan Clark, a former Pro Bowler at safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has cultivated a strong media presence since his retirement and is well-known for appearing on ESPN‘s NFL coverage. But Clark also chimes in on other sports — and he recently fired off a controversial take over Bronny’s game time in the G League.
The Lakers have decided that Bronny, 20, will only play home games for South Bay while joining the LA Lakers when the G League team is on the road. That strange decision has prompted even more backlash for Bronny.
“The pros isn’t about where you came from, how you were raised, what your parents had,” Clark said on “The Pivot Podcast“. “Professional sports is about how well you can contribute. And you don’t get treated differently because of your parents, you get treated differently because of your ability to contribute.”
But Bronny does appear to be receiving different, if not preferential, treatment from the franchise for whom his father — one of the greatest NBA players ever — continues to play at age 39. In addition, Bronny is battling another physical ailment — a heel injury — that could stop him from playing at all for a little while. With that in mind, Clark has offered a solution to Bronny’s “problem” — and time will tell if the former USC Trojan guard heeds the advice.
“If I’m Bronny James… I’m begging Rich Paul, I’m begging JJ Redick, I’m begging my father, please let me travel with this team,” Clark said. “Please let me stay at the Courtyard Marriott. Please let me fly commercial. Please let me go somewhere where I’ma get up more than six shots in three games. To not only prove it to my organization that I’m worthy of being on this team, but to my damn self.”
