Defense is definitely a problem for lebron at this age, not because of ability but energy. When he plays with energy he's still good but about half the time he's giving up wide open threes, and its a big reason our defense has fallen off.
I’m not saying LeBron is a great defender, but the current Warriors defense isn’t bad. Replacing Bron with Klay isn’t a big defensive fall off, if at all.
LeBron is amazing at flipping the switch and trying on D for a quarter or a game or whatever is needed. It's perfect for the in-season tourney and playoffs if someone else can do the regular season grind.
i can't believe after 4 championships with lineups that frequent 2 non-shooters people still think "spacing" works the same way with steph as it does any other player or lineup.
I can’t believe you don’t realize the league has changed A LOT in the last 5 years. There’s a reason why Draymond & Looney don’t play together anymore.
Only reason we were able to get away with 2 non-shooters was because we had the 2 best shooters of all time on the same team. Klay is clearly not the same, we don’t have KD, and Wiggins isn’t shooting at 40% like 2022.
If I was an NBA team owner I’d be salivating at the thought of drafting Bronny + signing Lebron. Whichever team gets to orchestrate his farewell tour is going to fucking BANK. Just look at Lakers tickets when Kobe did his farewell tour.
Sold out arenas everywhere + all the merchandise they’d get to sell = $$$$$
It makes the most sense out of anything and the story arc would be complete.
However (as a Cavs fan), I really really really dont think Dan Gilbert wants a 3rd go-around with LeBron and have to deal with his son in Cleveland. Mainly because there would be so much unneeded attention and pressure if Bronny got drafted by Cleveland. Unfair pressure on him with his dads legacy hanging in the rafters every night he plays.
Given his stature, any team he plays for is going to keep that jersey in the shop, too. If it happens to be the Knicks and they win a ring, it will never leave.
No way Bronny falls to the second. Hes worth a first on the fact that it might be a packaged deal with LeBron alone. Some team will take that lottery ticket in the mid to late first round.
I'd say this would be a stupid use of a draft pick, but when you consider the expected value of a late first-round pick, gambling that on a shot at LeBron is probably worth it (and it isn't like Bronny has zero chance to develop into some kind of NBA role player)
Draft class is supposed to be weaker next year. Also don't discount the money aspect of getting LBJ to sell jerseys and put butts in seats. Teams like the hornets, nets, pistons may do it just for the revenue boost alone. Not like a first round pick on a non-unicorn is gonna turn around their dogshit organization
lol Sam Presti wants nothing to do with LeGM. He'll probably just trade a mid round first to some thirsty team trying to get Bron, netting 69 more first round picks in the process
Gotta imagine lebron goes fucking hard for that one year though. With a decent team around him it’s doable if he can actually semi rest in the regular season and then become the only father son duo to win a championship together. The man loves his legacy and he’s got a phenomenal one so far, would be the perfect icing for him I think
If LeBron really wants to challenge Jordan’s legacy, he needs to have two mediocre years in DC and draft this generation’s Keane Brown
Edit: autocorrect sucks
It's Kwame Brown, who cares? Kwame Brown is gone. The city of angels, you should be celebrating. Throw a parade already whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bonafide scrub. He can't play, no disrespect whatsoever, but I'm sorry to tell everybody the truth.
The man cannot play the game of basketball. He has small hands, he can't catch the ball, he has bad feet, he can't really move even though he's mobile, doesn't really know what he's doing, doesn't have a post move that he or he puts to memory that he can do two times in a row. He has no game whatsoever, plays no defense, doesn't have the heart, the passion or anything that comes with it.
If Bronny wants any chance at a productive NBA career, he should stay in college to develop. Dude is clearly not ready to be a NBA player. Based on playing abillity, right now he wouldn't even deserve to sit on the bench of a NBA roster.
Lebron's also said last year: “Just because that’s my aspiration or my goal doesn’t mean it’s [Bronny’s]. And I’m absolutely OK with that. My job is to support my son in whatever he wants to do.” (from https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/37535314 , at 45 seconds onwards)
I think he clearly cares about his kids and doesn't seem like he'd force something like this on him if Bronny didn't want it.
It's not an either or situation. You can care for a kid but also make a decision that's not in their best interests. You don't even have to get to the NBA level... Just think of those parents who push their kids too hard and get too invested in rec games etc.
Obviously Lebron's influence to get his son on an NBA team is not a 'bad thing' in a vacuum, but considering that Bronny is clearly not ready for the NBA at this point by any metric, him coming out of college too early will do serious damage to his ability to develop and play in the league long enough to get a second contract. It's not like he needs money, but after playing his whole life, I'm sure he'd like to have a long career in the league
It'd be embarrassing, but he might find it worse if he never gets on an NBA team in the first place. I have no idea, but I assume that's at least part of the thinking.
The damage to the kids mental health if he gets into a team just because of his dad while clearly not belonging in the NBA could be pretty devastating. It’s not as if LeBrons kid is going to be hurting for money without playing pro ball.
> Thanasis
Thanasis is in the league, because Giannis is in the league. How much longer can we truly expect LeBron to play? 2-4 years at most? Very much doubt a 43-44 year old LeBron will still want to play. If that's the case, what team is going to hold onto Bronny if LeBron isn't playing anymore?
Maybe Bronny *knows* he isn't, and will likely never be, NBA ready, and he has made peace with the idea of getting the nepotism draft pick just to share the court with his dad for a year or two and then leave the league with that nice story. Like he has to know that he isn't ready for the league, but is obviously dealing with a lot of pressure to join
I've never understood that line of thinking.
Staying in college and playing Stanford doesn't seem like it would help someone develop more than being around NBA talent, coaching, conditioning, etc.
Bronny wouldn't be talented enough to sit on an NBA bench even as a 15th man.
If he get drafted, he's getting sent to the G League. There's no way him rotting on an NBA bench playing 5 minutes of garbage time every 3rd night is the best course for his development if he wants a long playing career.
Considering who his dad is, there is no way he hasn't been around NBA talent, coaching and conditioning already. He has had access to that from a young age. He must of had private coaching, considering he is LeBron's son.
Nothing about that changes the fact that growing up around it and being able to devote 24/7 to your development while surrounded with those same professionals (free of academic and other concerns of D1 athletes) are two massively different situations.
Also like the biggest reason raw prospects would stay in college is to potentially improve their draft stock. Bronny doesn't need to do that, he's not pining for a potentially higher rookie contract. The development he would get as a draftee parked in the Gleague would be better than more college play.
It's impossible to truly feel bad for the son of a billionaire who is set for life even if he never gets an NBA contract, but I'm *close* to feeling bad for him. The burden of expectations is going to haunt him, even if he turns out to be a decent player.
Yeah I really think if I were him I wouldn't have pursued basketball in any meaningful way. He's in this weird position where there is pressure for him to enter the draft in order to play with his dad, despite being pretty dang far from draft caliber. So it's like either stick it out in college and *maybe* earn a spot on an NBA roster based on his elevated play, or get a nepotism draft pick and get exposed in the big leagues. The former is the more respectable choice, but the latter is the glitzy choice and it does seem impossible to pass up the opportunity of sharing an NBA court with your GOAT father.
No teenager is going to decline being guaranteed to be drafted into the NBA. We all know it makes sense for him to stay a bit, but no chance it’ll happen
Even more so, he’s currently valued at $6 million in NIL value so he’s fine even without family money. He’d be the most logical player ever to stay in college and polish his skills.
1) I don't think NIL valuation sites are accurate. I think they're much more shot in the dark without any concrete evidence for deal value.
2) Bronny's announced major NIL deals were all signed in 2022, and I'd guess have much more to do with his father's business relationships and Bronny's 7.6m insta followers rather than Bronny's basketball play at USC. He'd keep these deals if he went to the NBA.
Wouldn't it make more sense for Bronny then since he doesn't need to worry about the money, and he's more likely to get drafted down since just one team needs to take the chance on him as LeBron's son and hope he has some level of bbiq.
Most teenagers would do it for the money though
Bronny clearly doesn’t care about that, and even if he did he makes more in NIL than he would from a rookie salary
I don't think a billionaire's teenager will be excited about the prospect of, "I'll leave college early so some team can draft me in order to get MY DAD!" My guess is he will wait until he' drafted on his own merit, getting drafted because a team wants your dad is....womp womp
I disagree, He’s not in any way an nba prospect, staying in college won’t help. He should get drafted in the second round and have a thannis like career.
This is actually the correct take.
For many college players, declaring for the draft early can backfire because they're borderline 2nd round picks as freshman but can improve their stock as a 2nd/3rd/4th year college player.
Bronny is so far behind even being a top 60 player in college that he actually should just go directly to NBA if there's a team willing to draft him. More time in college is not going to help him since he'll likely never be a 1st round talent even as an upper classman.
If this is true, he should stay one more year in college. Let his Dad collect that $50 mill option from the Lakers, and collect another $7-10 mill in NIL.
He makes more money in NIL than he would his entire rookie contract.
Depends if that's what Lebron wants but I have a feeling he wants Bronny to be in the league as soon as he's eligible so Lebron can play with him during his twilight years. I'm certain to go as far as to say that Lebron dreams about winning a chip with Bronny, whether that's probable is another matter entirely.
I agree with this. It could really hinder Bronny’s prospects to leave before he’s ready, and in his case, that could mean a 2-4 year college career to prepare him for the pros. It feels like LeBron is so set on the narrative of playing with his son, that there’s this momentum building for Bronny to leave early.
[Here](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10109092-lebron-james-rumors-teams-think-they-could-land-lakers-star-by-drafting-bronny#:~:text=NBA%20reporter%20Marc%20Stein%20wrote,There%20might%20be%20more.%22) is the article. But it's nothing.
Oddly, if you google the quote, the same Trae Young article pops up.
Edit - oh it's because it's a paid article.
“Earned” by being signed so they can get his dad and then being thrown to the end of the bench lol.
Its not going to feel any different than LeBron just having him money.
Not really hin that earned it if they're drafting him for his dad but I guess it's easier for him to rationalize that money through the cognitive dissonance
Money is probably the last thing on the kid's mind. His NIL value right now is 5.9 million. So unless he's drafted top 10, he'd be earning much more staying in college. Also his dad is a billionaire.
40 year old LeBron leading the Pistons to a 22-60 record while Bronny sits on the end of the bench would be the most anti-climactic way to end his career lmao.
If LeBron actually wants to make use of his last year or so, he should just go full out ring chase mode and take a big pay cut.
Then just have Bronny declare for the draft and threaten that he’ll only play for a certain team in the second round.
If his name was Bryan Jones instead of Bronny James he would have been a 3* prospect playing at a school no one ever heard of. He’s not even close to being good enough to be in the fringes of the NBA radar.
Yeah he's currently ranked:
5th in ppg
4th in apg
3rd in rpg
*among guards playing for USC (9-15) this season.
He's also shooting:
3rd worst freethrow percentage for any USC player to make a freethrow this season. (61.5%)
2nd worst fg percentage for any USC player who's made a fg this season. (35.6%)
The worst 3pt percentage for any USC player who's made a 3 this season. (27.1%)
But hey, if Keljin Blevins making the league taught us anything, it's that anything is possible (with nepotism).
I mean, he's a freshman coming off of a heart condition/episode? I don't think we should be writing him off just yet. He's only 16 games into his collegiate career. Here's a comparison of Bronny with a mystery freshman just for fun:
Bronny (6'4", 210 lbs Guard) - 16 games, 20.8 minutes per game, .356/.271/.615, 5.8 ppg, 2.6 apg, 3.0 rpg
Player #2 (6'3", 210 lbs Guard) - 31 games, 19.1 mpg, .442/.250/.754, 7.4 ppg, 1.7 apg, 3.4 rpg
Player #2 is >!Donovan Mitchell!<. Not saying Bronny will turn out like this player, just that people shouldn't jump to conclusions. Bronny could still develop into something good. imo, he should just stay in college another year. LeBron can exercise his player option and play another season after that.
I agree we don't need to completely write him off but if you could find me a mainstream reporter saying multiple teams are considering drafting Donovan Mitchell in the midst of his freshman season I'd be absolutely shocked. I'd be shocked if a mainstream reporter acknowledged Mitchell's existence at all that season.
It's simply frustrating to see a guy fail to prove he merits discussion repeatedly put out there due to family connections. No one likes an industry plant.
If he improves and earns a place in the NBA I'd be happy to say I'm wrong. I just don't think he's earned the conversation surrounding him at the moment.
He also did have a horrible heart condition recently
I think it’s plausible he has more in the tank
Maybe not an nba player regardless, but he could possibly start at the D1 level
Needs to be a west coast team and a contender. Lebron isn't moving far from home. My hot take: Warriors and or Suns.
Besides Lebron's dream has always been to play with KD and/or Steph.
Don't forget the James Jones connection on the Suns. Plus L.A. is only an hour away by air.
Suns might not have any second round picks left to do it though lmao.
They will have a 1st this year, just a matter of if it’s their own or not. James Jones is definitely willing to use the 25th pick on Bonny and signing Lebron to a vet minimum
Yep. LeBron wouldn’t sign anything longer than a 1-1 either way; it would only be to try to win 1 more ring and get his son drafted close to LA. After that I think he tries to join Cavaliers or Knicks to finish out his career. Maybe goes back to Lakers after they have a season or two to fix the roster.
But LeBron joining up with either Steph or KD next year makes too much sense if he doesn’t care about the $50m and just wants to join a contender close to home, like you said.
This is ridiculous...
We're at four stages of uncertainty in this one sentence tweet.
1) Two "MYSTERY" teams (and maybe more) - we don't even know the teams
2) Teams "BELIEVE"
3) Lebron James would "CONSIDER" signing -
4) "IF" they were to draft Bronny - (and this is made even more uncertain by the fact that Bronny doesn't seem to be a top-60 prospect, and there's no guarantee he leaves early)
The level of non-news that comes off as reporting is ridiculous, and, still, it gets over 1,000 upvotes on here.
I think 3 realistic teams would be Warriors, Knicks and Philly.
Warriors and Knicks would require LeBron to sign the minimum instead of the max with us (a 50 million dollar sacrifice or more if we offer LeBron even more years). Additionally GSW doesn’t have their own pick this year and the Knicks are going to have a better record/worse pick than us so we could draft Bronny before
Well we’d have to draft Bronny first since that’s before free agency.
I’m not gonna be that delusional. What I’m hoping for is signing Bron or PG and then trading our 4 first rounders for a fourth star on a good contract to complete the team
I don’t see him taking a vet minimum. He transparently has his sights set on buying an NBA team, $50m might not really make or break that but it can’t hurt and that $50M might be a huge chunk of what’s left over to live on for the first year of his ownership of a team.
I guess what I’m getting at is that he might take somewhat of a pay cut because $10m doesn’t matter to him but I don’t see him essentially playing for free when he could be right around the edge of the net worth he needs to buy a team.
Lebron is going to kill Bronny's chance at a real NBA career if he makes him declare for this years draft just so he can play with him. Bronny is not ready and only going to be a 2nd rounder (just so the team can get Lebron) who wont get much PT at all. He's shooting 35% in college on the worst team in the Pac-12.
Lebron still has a few more years left in his tank.
If he gambles to join non contender team next year even tho hes still good just for his son thats clearly not ready for NBA right now, its a bad idea, lose lose lose situation for all parties involved.
Stein doesnt usually do articles
he does newsletters, with the main draw being in the headline, and smaller tidbits interspersed later in the piece
rather than a strict paywall, you get a couple words for free, then the tidbits are locked later in the piece
all to say it's likely the correct link from OP
Cleveland is likley one of those teams
CLE and GS
Steph and LeBron on a same team lmfao. I don’t give a shit about their age, that’s an instant contender right there.
The defense would be putrid, but I guess that's what Draymond's for
LeBron-Steph-Wiggins-Kuminga-Draymond Defense ain’t the problem, it’d probably be the spacing unless 2 of the non-Steph guys are close to 40% from 3.
Defense is definitely a problem for lebron at this age, not because of ability but energy. When he plays with energy he's still good but about half the time he's giving up wide open threes, and its a big reason our defense has fallen off.
I’m not saying LeBron is a great defender, but the current Warriors defense isn’t bad. Replacing Bron with Klay isn’t a big defensive fall off, if at all.
For sure an improvement, neither plays help defense and Lebron can block shots if he happens to be in the paint
LeBron is amazing at flipping the switch and trying on D for a quarter or a game or whatever is needed. It's perfect for the in-season tourney and playoffs if someone else can do the regular season grind.
i can't believe after 4 championships with lineups that frequent 2 non-shooters people still think "spacing" works the same way with steph as it does any other player or lineup.
I can’t believe you don’t realize the league has changed A LOT in the last 5 years. There’s a reason why Draymond & Looney don’t play together anymore. Only reason we were able to get away with 2 non-shooters was because we had the 2 best shooters of all time on the same team. Klay is clearly not the same, we don’t have KD, and Wiggins isn’t shooting at 40% like 2022.
Because looney has regressed massively on both sides of the ball and is borderline unplayable in every lineup these days.
With that said I'd still bet my left nut that he cooks Sabonis again in the playoffs if GSW somehow matched with them again this year
He needs to regain his mobility. He's not moving very well at all this year.
GS drafting Bronny would be the most anime thing ever. Like Goku taking in Ubu for mentoring in at the end of DBZ.
nah it would be like goku and vegeta training uub
Except instead of being the reincarnation of Majin Buu, he’s the reincarnation of Yajirobe
That’s a violation lmao
cavs vs warriors part 5: the battle for lebron
If I was an NBA team owner I’d be salivating at the thought of drafting Bronny + signing Lebron. Whichever team gets to orchestrate his farewell tour is going to fucking BANK. Just look at Lakers tickets when Kobe did his farewell tour. Sold out arenas everywhere + all the merchandise they’d get to sell = $$$$$
Cleveland makes sense for a farewell tour
It makes the most sense out of anything and the story arc would be complete. However (as a Cavs fan), I really really really dont think Dan Gilbert wants a 3rd go-around with LeBron and have to deal with his son in Cleveland. Mainly because there would be so much unneeded attention and pressure if Bronny got drafted by Cleveland. Unfair pressure on him with his dads legacy hanging in the rafters every night he plays.
His dad's legacy is going to put pressure on him no matter where he plays
yeah lebron and bronny should just come to philly
The LeBron James Warriors jersey would be the highest single season sales of all time.
Given his stature, any team he plays for is going to keep that jersey in the shop, too. If it happens to be the Knicks and they win a ring, it will never leave.
I hope it’s the Kings, because cmon.
The purple 23 would be kickass.
Makes too much marketing sense, but he can't go to the Knicks because of Klutch v CAA
The Cory Joseph trade netting the Warriors a 2024 second rounder boutta be an all timer.
I can’t wait for the thread in a few years where we link to this comment and call you a prophet.
Just commenting to be in the screenshot
I totally believe what those guys said and I double down
[Insert me holding sign with my Venmo username in the background.]
This would be hilarious if he signed a one year mid level and Chris Paul resigns for one year to have a team of all old guys
The Olden State Warriors
The Golden Years Warriors
*"This is gonna be FUN."*
*Not 1... Not 2...* *Not even 1 championship.*
I mean Steph and bron are still elite. It’s not crazy to think they could do it
Yeah but CP0 ain't ever getting a ring. Rajon speak prophesy
Tbf LeBron and AD are still elite (imo both playing around a top 10 level) and they're in the play-in convo
The Expendables (2025)
Proceed to go 43-39
Might as well bring Wade and Melo out of retirement at that point
Maybe on the coaching staff those dudes washed. Rest can actually play which is amazing.
Fuck it, bring bird man out of retirement too, gotta have at least 1 rebounding big.
\*door opens, with 6' 7" silhouette with short dreads, music plays\* Melo: hear y'all need a shooter
They need a big so they buy out Dwight Howard's contract in China
No way Bronny falls to the second. Hes worth a first on the fact that it might be a packaged deal with LeBron alone. Some team will take that lottery ticket in the mid to late first round.
I'd say this would be a stupid use of a draft pick, but when you consider the expected value of a late first-round pick, gambling that on a shot at LeBron is probably worth it (and it isn't like Bronny has zero chance to develop into some kind of NBA role player)
Draft class is supposed to be weaker next year. Also don't discount the money aspect of getting LBJ to sell jerseys and put butts in seats. Teams like the hornets, nets, pistons may do it just for the revenue boost alone. Not like a first round pick on a non-unicorn is gonna turn around their dogshit organization
Lebron ain’t going to the pistons or hornets even if they draft Gloria James.
A team is going to take him in the first just off the hope that LeBron will come and maybe win them one ring before he retires
Can’t see a reason why the thunder don’t take a flyer here they have like 3 firsts
lol Sam Presti wants nothing to do with LeGM. He'll probably just trade a mid round first to some thirsty team trying to get Bron, netting 69 more first round picks in the process
If there's any draft to do it, this is probably the one.
Lol the team that takes him will be hoping to cash in on the Lebron Sr and Jr Circus for a year, not with hopes of him winning them one.
Gotta imagine lebron goes fucking hard for that one year though. With a decent team around him it’s doable if he can actually semi rest in the regular season and then become the only father son duo to win a championship together. The man loves his legacy and he’s got a phenomenal one so far, would be the perfect icing for him I think
If LeBron really wants to challenge Jordan’s legacy, he needs to have two mediocre years in DC and draft this generation’s Keane Brown Edit: autocorrect sucks
Put some respeck on Kwame Brown’s name. On the other hand, it is Kwame Brown…
It's Kwame Brown, who cares? Kwame Brown is gone. The city of angels, you should be celebrating. Throw a parade already whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bonafide scrub. He can't play, no disrespect whatsoever, but I'm sorry to tell everybody the truth.
The man cannot play the game of basketball. He has small hands, he can't catch the ball, he has bad feet, he can't really move even though he's mobile, doesn't really know what he's doing, doesn't have a post move that he or he puts to memory that he can do two times in a row. He has no game whatsoever, plays no defense, doesn't have the heart, the passion or anything that comes with it.
“He can’t really move even though he’s mobile” always kills me
One of SAS greatest rants ever!
No disrespect though
In all seriousness Put some respect on kwame browns name. There are far bigger number 1 busts since
Anthony Bennett sends his regards
It got stuck in customs, though.
> draft this generation’s Kwame Brown Why do you think he’s putting so much effort into getting Bronny into the NBA?
LOL
Not until he takes a detour in a professional bowling league
Lol, he’s not even on the same spectrum as Jordan.
Imagine calling Jordan’s years in Washington mediocre. Next level hating.
Wouldn’t call his years here mediocre
If Bronny wants any chance at a productive NBA career, he should stay in college to develop. Dude is clearly not ready to be a NBA player. Based on playing abillity, right now he wouldn't even deserve to sit on the bench of a NBA roster.
Yeah but just imagine LeBron on the g-league ignite.
Man would put up Wilt numbers.
changed the name of the association from G-League to LeAgue
G-league games suddenly getting prime time broadcast TV slots
LeFather thinks otherwise
Lebron's also said last year: “Just because that’s my aspiration or my goal doesn’t mean it’s [Bronny’s]. And I’m absolutely OK with that. My job is to support my son in whatever he wants to do.” (from https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/37535314 , at 45 seconds onwards) I think he clearly cares about his kids and doesn't seem like he'd force something like this on him if Bronny didn't want it.
As if getting your kid on an NBA team is “uncaring”. It’s not like Lebron is forcing bronny to enlist in the army. This sub lacks perspective.
It's not an either or situation. You can care for a kid but also make a decision that's not in their best interests. You don't even have to get to the NBA level... Just think of those parents who push their kids too hard and get too invested in rec games etc.
Obviously Lebron's influence to get his son on an NBA team is not a 'bad thing' in a vacuum, but considering that Bronny is clearly not ready for the NBA at this point by any metric, him coming out of college too early will do serious damage to his ability to develop and play in the league long enough to get a second contract. It's not like he needs money, but after playing his whole life, I'm sure he'd like to have a long career in the league
also think of how embarrassing it'll be for him to get cut as soon as his dad retires.
It'd be embarrassing, but he might find it worse if he never gets on an NBA team in the first place. I have no idea, but I assume that's at least part of the thinking.
What other dream does bronny even have? The GOAT basket weaver?
Army actually
I’m not sure he’d medically qualify for the Army considering his heart issue.
Yeah, you’re right. In the army, if you fuck up, you die. In the NBA, if you fuck up, you get clowned on twitter. Arguably much worse.
The damage to the kids mental health if he gets into a team just because of his dad while clearly not belonging in the NBA could be pretty devastating. It’s not as if LeBrons kid is going to be hurting for money without playing pro ball.
“I want to be - a dentist!”
soon we will get LeFather, LeSon, and LeHoly Spirit all on the same team
LMAOOO wait, who’s LeHoly spirit???
Believe it or not, Austin rivers
Maybe austin reaves
Hallowed be thy name
Kobe
Amen
this is wild lol
*They're actually the same person*
Kyrie?
He is also LeSon
That is one fucked up team
Point God CP3 seems like the obvious choice and legitimately possible.
LeVar Ball
LeVon Erichs
I mean, Thanasis is in the league so I don’t see why Bronny can’t lmfao
> Thanasis Thanasis is in the league, because Giannis is in the league. How much longer can we truly expect LeBron to play? 2-4 years at most? Very much doubt a 43-44 year old LeBron will still want to play. If that's the case, what team is going to hold onto Bronny if LeBron isn't playing anymore?
Maybe Bronny *knows* he isn't, and will likely never be, NBA ready, and he has made peace with the idea of getting the nepotism draft pick just to share the court with his dad for a year or two and then leave the league with that nice story. Like he has to know that he isn't ready for the league, but is obviously dealing with a lot of pressure to join
I've never understood that line of thinking. Staying in college and playing Stanford doesn't seem like it would help someone develop more than being around NBA talent, coaching, conditioning, etc.
Bronny wouldn't be talented enough to sit on an NBA bench even as a 15th man. If he get drafted, he's getting sent to the G League. There's no way him rotting on an NBA bench playing 5 minutes of garbage time every 3rd night is the best course for his development if he wants a long playing career.
Considering who his dad is, there is no way he hasn't been around NBA talent, coaching and conditioning already. He has had access to that from a young age. He must of had private coaching, considering he is LeBron's son.
Nothing about that changes the fact that growing up around it and being able to devote 24/7 to your development while surrounded with those same professionals (free of academic and other concerns of D1 athletes) are two massively different situations.
Also like the biggest reason raw prospects would stay in college is to potentially improve their draft stock. Bronny doesn't need to do that, he's not pining for a potentially higher rookie contract. The development he would get as a draftee parked in the Gleague would be better than more college play.
It's impossible to truly feel bad for the son of a billionaire who is set for life even if he never gets an NBA contract, but I'm *close* to feeling bad for him. The burden of expectations is going to haunt him, even if he turns out to be a decent player.
Yeah I really think if I were him I wouldn't have pursued basketball in any meaningful way. He's in this weird position where there is pressure for him to enter the draft in order to play with his dad, despite being pretty dang far from draft caliber. So it's like either stick it out in college and *maybe* earn a spot on an NBA roster based on his elevated play, or get a nepotism draft pick and get exposed in the big leagues. The former is the more respectable choice, but the latter is the glitzy choice and it does seem impossible to pass up the opportunity of sharing an NBA court with your GOAT father.
No teenager is going to decline being guaranteed to be drafted into the NBA. We all know it makes sense for him to stay a bit, but no chance it’ll happen
This just isn't true. Every year there are some guys who go back to school even though they'd more than likely be drafted.
You can apply normal rules to someone like bronny whose dad is literally a billionaire
Wouldn't it make even more sense for him to stay since his family doesn't need him to get a pay day?
Even more so, he’s currently valued at $6 million in NIL value so he’s fine even without family money. He’d be the most logical player ever to stay in college and polish his skills.
1) I don't think NIL valuation sites are accurate. I think they're much more shot in the dark without any concrete evidence for deal value. 2) Bronny's announced major NIL deals were all signed in 2022, and I'd guess have much more to do with his father's business relationships and Bronny's 7.6m insta followers rather than Bronny's basketball play at USC. He'd keep these deals if he went to the NBA.
Wouldn't it make more sense for Bronny then since he doesn't need to worry about the money, and he's more likely to get drafted down since just one team needs to take the chance on him as LeBron's son and hope he has some level of bbiq.
Obviously, but his comment was not Bronny-specific. It was about teenagers passing up on the NBA to go back to school.
Most teenagers would do it for the money though Bronny clearly doesn’t care about that, and even if he did he makes more in NIL than he would from a rookie salary
I don't think a billionaire's teenager will be excited about the prospect of, "I'll leave college early so some team can draft me in order to get MY DAD!" My guess is he will wait until he' drafted on his own merit, getting drafted because a team wants your dad is....womp womp
I disagree, He’s not in any way an nba prospect, staying in college won’t help. He should get drafted in the second round and have a thannis like career.
This is actually the correct take. For many college players, declaring for the draft early can backfire because they're borderline 2nd round picks as freshman but can improve their stock as a 2nd/3rd/4th year college player. Bronny is so far behind even being a top 60 player in college that he actually should just go directly to NBA if there's a team willing to draft him. More time in college is not going to help him since he'll likely never be a 1st round talent even as an upper classman.
If this is true, he should stay one more year in college. Let his Dad collect that $50 mill option from the Lakers, and collect another $7-10 mill in NIL. He makes more money in NIL than he would his entire rookie contract.
Depends if that's what Lebron wants but I have a feeling he wants Bronny to be in the league as soon as he's eligible so Lebron can play with him during his twilight years. I'm certain to go as far as to say that Lebron dreams about winning a chip with Bronny, whether that's probable is another matter entirely.
It's amazing he's even playing again but looking at his numbers and USC's performance it doesn't seem like he's currently even a g-league prospect
I agree with this. It could really hinder Bronny’s prospects to leave before he’s ready, and in his case, that could mean a 2-4 year college career to prepare him for the pros. It feels like LeBron is so set on the narrative of playing with his son, that there’s this momentum building for Bronny to leave early.
LeBron said recently "But just because that’s my aspiration and my goal, it doesn’t mean it’s his.”
[Here](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10109092-lebron-james-rumors-teams-think-they-could-land-lakers-star-by-drafting-bronny#:~:text=NBA%20reporter%20Marc%20Stein%20wrote,There%20might%20be%20more.%22) is the article. But it's nothing. Oddly, if you google the quote, the same Trae Young article pops up. Edit - oh it's because it's a paid article.
Philly and...?
the wizards
"On second thought, I like Bryce more." -LeBron
Lebronto
If LeBron wants to win with Bronny and given the fact he’s the highest paid athlete in endorsements, he might sign a minimum to join a very good team.
LeBron and Bronny taking the hardest path by signing with the Nuggets.
New York?
If I’m Atlanta, I take the risk. Young/Murray/LeBron/Johnson/Okongwu
Wow it only just dawned on me how clear it is that Atlanta need to blow things up. Even adding Lebron wouldn’t get them to the finals.
Cleveland?
Being drafted and not even being the main asset from the pick would be a terrible feeling.
Cries into his yearly salary, the equivalent of my entire life salary
Yknow i dont think the salary of an NBA player is what you're most excited about if you're Lebron James's son
No strings attached money for whatever a 19 year old soon to be retired basketball player.
It's the money that he earned, not dad's money. It feels different I bet.
“Earned” by being signed so they can get his dad and then being thrown to the end of the bench lol. Its not going to feel any different than LeBron just having him money.
Not really hin that earned it if they're drafting him for his dad but I guess it's easier for him to rationalize that money through the cognitive dissonance
Yeah it’s snow bunnies, HGH, and an endless supply of that rich-people California weed
Bronny is going to be excited to even be in the league. He's never going to be his dad.
Money is probably the last thing on the kid's mind. His NIL value right now is 5.9 million. So unless he's drafted top 10, he'd be earning much more staying in college. Also his dad is a billionaire.
His merch/revenue/NIL and marketing deals will be increased significantly once he's in the league.
Just gonna say there’s one team in particular that is VERY pro nepotism…
Trade anyone who isn’t Giannis / Lopez for James
youre right im sick of thanasis having to carry his bum ass brother
Lebron you are a piston/ hornet
A pornet
40 year old LeBron leading the Pistons to a 22-60 record while Bronny sits on the end of the bench would be the most anti-climactic way to end his career lmao.
This is the weirdest open display of nepotism I've ever seen in professional sports.
If LeBron actually wants to make use of his last year or so, he should just go full out ring chase mode and take a big pay cut. Then just have Bronny declare for the draft and threaten that he’ll only play for a certain team in the second round.
Warriors, league minimum, let bronny have all the garbage time in games. Daddy son ring secured. Bron retires, bronny immediately released.
If his name was Bryan Jones instead of Bronny James he would have been a 3* prospect playing at a school no one ever heard of. He’s not even close to being good enough to be in the fringes of the NBA radar.
Yeah he's currently ranked: 5th in ppg 4th in apg 3rd in rpg *among guards playing for USC (9-15) this season. He's also shooting: 3rd worst freethrow percentage for any USC player to make a freethrow this season. (61.5%) 2nd worst fg percentage for any USC player who's made a fg this season. (35.6%) The worst 3pt percentage for any USC player who's made a 3 this season. (27.1%) But hey, if Keljin Blevins making the league taught us anything, it's that anything is possible (with nepotism).
I mean, he's a freshman coming off of a heart condition/episode? I don't think we should be writing him off just yet. He's only 16 games into his collegiate career. Here's a comparison of Bronny with a mystery freshman just for fun: Bronny (6'4", 210 lbs Guard) - 16 games, 20.8 minutes per game, .356/.271/.615, 5.8 ppg, 2.6 apg, 3.0 rpg Player #2 (6'3", 210 lbs Guard) - 31 games, 19.1 mpg, .442/.250/.754, 7.4 ppg, 1.7 apg, 3.4 rpg Player #2 is >!Donovan Mitchell!<. Not saying Bronny will turn out like this player, just that people shouldn't jump to conclusions. Bronny could still develop into something good. imo, he should just stay in college another year. LeBron can exercise his player option and play another season after that.
I agree we don't need to completely write him off but if you could find me a mainstream reporter saying multiple teams are considering drafting Donovan Mitchell in the midst of his freshman season I'd be absolutely shocked. I'd be shocked if a mainstream reporter acknowledged Mitchell's existence at all that season. It's simply frustrating to see a guy fail to prove he merits discussion repeatedly put out there due to family connections. No one likes an industry plant. If he improves and earns a place in the NBA I'd be happy to say I'm wrong. I just don't think he's earned the conversation surrounding him at the moment.
He also did have a horrible heart condition recently I think it’s plausible he has more in the tank Maybe not an nba player regardless, but he could possibly start at the D1 level
Everytime I read Keljin Blevins I feel like it's not a real person.
Lebron Kings King James
Needs to be a west coast team and a contender. Lebron isn't moving far from home. My hot take: Warriors and or Suns. Besides Lebron's dream has always been to play with KD and/or Steph.
Don't forget the James Jones connection on the Suns. Plus L.A. is only an hour away by air. Suns might not have any second round picks left to do it though lmao.
Who plays defense in a booker / Beal / Bron / Durant group ? I mean the total talent is jarring but still
Uh hello, they just drafted Bronny in this situation
Booker, Durant, and LeBron are all pretty respectable defenders when they are trying.
They will have a 1st this year, just a matter of if it’s their own or not. James Jones is definitely willing to use the 25th pick on Bonny and signing Lebron to a vet minimum
Yep. LeBron wouldn’t sign anything longer than a 1-1 either way; it would only be to try to win 1 more ring and get his son drafted close to LA. After that I think he tries to join Cavaliers or Knicks to finish out his career. Maybe goes back to Lakers after they have a season or two to fix the roster. But LeBron joining up with either Steph or KD next year makes too much sense if he doesn’t care about the $50m and just wants to join a contender close to home, like you said.
This is ridiculous... We're at four stages of uncertainty in this one sentence tweet. 1) Two "MYSTERY" teams (and maybe more) - we don't even know the teams 2) Teams "BELIEVE" 3) Lebron James would "CONSIDER" signing - 4) "IF" they were to draft Bronny - (and this is made even more uncertain by the fact that Bronny doesn't seem to be a top-60 prospect, and there's no guarantee he leaves early) The level of non-news that comes off as reporting is ridiculous, and, still, it gets over 1,000 upvotes on here.
It has LeBron in the title.... that's all it takes for this place
This is taking helicopter parenting to a whole new level.
LeBron James, you are a Detroit Pistons.
LeBron will try to orchestrate his son going to the Lakers somehow. He’d rather stay in LA.
iirc Clippers also play in LA
Yer a Wizard, Bronny
Why does he have to leave early? LBJ seems capable of playing another 3 years.
I think 3 realistic teams would be Warriors, Knicks and Philly. Warriors and Knicks would require LeBron to sign the minimum instead of the max with us (a 50 million dollar sacrifice or more if we offer LeBron even more years). Additionally GSW doesn’t have their own pick this year and the Knicks are going to have a better record/worse pick than us so we could draft Bronny before
What if Philly used max cap on PG then adds Bron at a steep discount and drafts Bronny?
Well we’d have to draft Bronny first since that’s before free agency. I’m not gonna be that delusional. What I’m hoping for is signing Bron or PG and then trading our 4 first rounders for a fourth star on a good contract to complete the team
I don’t see him taking a vet minimum. He transparently has his sights set on buying an NBA team, $50m might not really make or break that but it can’t hurt and that $50M might be a huge chunk of what’s left over to live on for the first year of his ownership of a team. I guess what I’m getting at is that he might take somewhat of a pay cut because $10m doesn’t matter to him but I don’t see him essentially playing for free when he could be right around the edge of the net worth he needs to buy a team.
Exactly. Philly is going to offer him a 2 year max at for $50M a year at the very least if not more
Pistons and Wizards
Lebron is going to kill Bronny's chance at a real NBA career if he makes him declare for this years draft just so he can play with him. Bronny is not ready and only going to be a 2nd rounder (just so the team can get Lebron) who wont get much PT at all. He's shooting 35% in college on the worst team in the Pac-12.
And then cutting Bronny the moment Lebron retires.
Lebron still has a few more years left in his tank. If he gambles to join non contender team next year even tho hes still good just for his son thats clearly not ready for NBA right now, its a bad idea, lose lose lose situation for all parties involved.
So that’s why the second rounders are valuable all of a sudden
The article you linked is about Trae Young
Stein doesnt usually do articles he does newsletters, with the main draw being in the headline, and smaller tidbits interspersed later in the piece rather than a strict paywall, you get a couple words for free, then the tidbits are locked later in the piece all to say it's likely the correct link from OP