"He doesn't need to be sitting on Lakers bench" - Magic Johnson discusses whether Bronny James is ready to play alongside LeBron James
When LeBron James takes to the court in the upcoming season, he will stand a chance of sharing it with his son Bronny James. If they do so, they will become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time and also for the same team. As such, much of the conversations surrounding the LA Lakers this summer have been about them.
Magic Johnson knows a thing or two about playing for the Lakers, as he spent 13 seasons with the franchise and won five titles. Magic, on Thursday’s edition of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” was asked if LeBron James and Bronny James playing together would be a comfortable situation. The Lakers legend replied (6:59):
“It can go one or two ways. If I am Bronny, I would tell my dad, ‘Just let me play in the G-League all season, so that I can develop.’ He needs playing time. He doesn’t need to be sitting on the Lakers bench and not playing.
“It’s not a knock against him. He’s just not ready. He needs to develop more. And then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills but he needs to develop those skills at a much better clip if he wants to play 15-20 minutes in the NBA or more.”
While Magic might not be sold on Bronny yet, the Lakers legend believes in the young star’s potential to play alongside LeBron James.
“I wouldn’t say that” - Magic Johnson responds to question if LeBron James is “making Bronny James play in the NBA”
During the same episode, Jimmy Kimmel asked Magic Johnson if LeBron James was making Bronny play in the NBA (7:33):
“So you think LeBron is making him play in the NBA?”
While it was a tricky question, Magic had the perfect response:
“I wouldn’t say that ’cause I don’t know that. But if I am his father, like LeBron is, he needs to develop. It’s just that simple. The Lakers have done a wonderful job of developing players. Caruso, you see all those guys have developed under the Lakers G-League coach. They have done a good job of bringing guys up and playing them in the NBA.”
This is a question that's arguably going to be thrown a lot at LeBron James throughout the season. While there has always been pressure on him to lead teams to titles, there might be even more scrutiny this season, if that's possible at all.
The Lakers’ preseason begins next Friday, while the regular season kicks off on Oct. 22.