Drafted in 55th position by the Lakers, Bronny James is one of the first rookies in his class to sign a contract. That's rare for a second-round draft pick, and on Tuesday, LeBron James' son held his first press conference, and he knows the pressure will be enormous. For many, he's only in the NBA because he's LeBron's oldest son.
“It is obvious that the pressure is increased”Bronny acknowledged. “I’ve seen it before on social media, on the internet and on other sites where people have said that maybe I don’t deserve a chance. But I’ve been dealing with this stuff my whole life. So it’s not different, but it’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.”
But why not stay in the NCAA to complete his training, when he had only played half a season because of his heart problems? “I feel like I could work more on my game in the NBA,” he answers. ” I feel like I'm going to be given an opportunity to show what I can do because I haven't had a lot of opportunities at USC. Rob (Pelinka) told me there's a great system here, and I just want to come to work and get better every day.”
While LeBron had expressed the dream of playing with his son, the interested party assures that he had not made it a goal: “I never really thought I was going to play with my dad. It was always a consideration, but it wasn't my priority.”
Bronny won't be playing with his father right now, but with the Summer League team. Officials have announced that he will be suited up for the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues.
