Bronny James' teammate gives honest opinion on playing alongside the rookie in G-League
After spending the start of the season with the LA Lakers, Bronny James has been sent to the G-League to focus on development. As the son of the 20-time All-Star navigates his first year in the pros, one of his teammates shared his thoughts on the second-round pick.
The G-League has grown in popularity in recent years, but the South Bay Lakers find themselves with a lot of eyes on them. As long as Bronny remains with the team, people will be tuning in to see the play of LeBron James' son.
Earlier this week, Lakers two-way player Armel Traore was asked his thoughts on being around Bronny James in the G-League. He had nothing but positive things to say, stating that the team as a whole is a tight-knit group.
"He's my guy," Traore said. "And I like everyone on the team, we're a family."
Bronny's situation in the G-League is a bit different than his teammates, but it doesn't seem to be causing a rift. A few weeks ago, insider Brian Windhorst reported that Bronny is essentially a part-time player in the G-League. He only appears in home games and doesn't travel commercially with the team when they hit the road.
This season, Bronny has only appeared in two games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Gilbert Arenas makes case for Bronny James' value to the LA Lakers and the NBA
Since he was drafted late in the second round of the NBA draft, Bronny James has had to battle a nepotism narrative. Following a lackluster freshman campaign at USC, many feel that he was only drafted because of LeBron James.
In recent years, LeBron made it clear that a goal of his was to play alongside his son in the league. He achieved that dream on opening night, as the two shared a special moment checking into the game together. LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo as teammates in NBA history.
While some try to discredit Bronny James' standing in the NBA, one former All-Star came to his defense. On his podcast, Gilbert Arenas said that the rookie guard provides value through jersey sales and adds entertainment value to the Lakers and NBA as a whole.
"You average 10 points a game, you sell no jerseys," Arenas said. "He plays no minutes, he sells 500,000. Whose worth more to the owner, you or him?"
Two weeks ago, reports emerged on how popular Bronny's jersey is among fans. The rookie guard has overtaken his father as the most searched jersey in terms Google traffic volume.