Metta World Peace defends Bronny James against weight of high expectations citing his own journey
Bronny James, playing alongside his father LeBron James, has been one of the biggest stories of the NBA during the 2024-25 season. With all that his old man has achieved, expectations were high for the young talent, and so far, he has underdelivered on these high expectations.
TMZ Sports recently interviewed former Laker Metta World Peace (Metta Sandiford-Artest) about these expectations and whether he thought Bronny leaving college early was a good idea. The 2010 NBA champion countered that Bronny was a good player and that, as a young prospect, being a two-way player early in his career was normal.
Furthermore, Artest added that Bronny would do great in the league before citing his experience. He also touched upon how his early challenges helped him become a complete player in the long run:
"He is not the first 19-year-old to not be the player he will be when he is 25. I came into the NBA averaging like 11 points, and my game went to the next level when I was 24."
The one-time all-star also spoke about how Bronny James wasn't under any pressure as he has been playing well and isn't underperforming in any way or form.
Metta Peace also expressed how some individuals just aren't happy with Bronny's presence in the league, and they are the ones creating narratives about him carrying heavy expectations on his shoulders.
Metta has always supported Bronny James since Day One
With Bronny James currently jumping between the main team roster and the G-League squad of the South Bay Lakers, fans have been skeptical of his addition this summer and have burdened him with expectations.
While he has hardly been given minutes after only playing 2.7 minutes so far, many have quickly called this a publicity stunt by the Lakers, but not Metta World Peace.
Having previously worked as a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers, Artest knows about developing young talents in Los Angeles and has supported Bronny James since the Lakers drafted him.
Praising his defensive ethic on the court while speaking to the media right after Bronny's selection earlier this year, Metta was quick to squash any doubters as he believed that he was a player of NBA caliber:
"I think he (Bronny James) is an NBA player. I don't know what, you know, everyone else is talking about. I see nothing but an NBA player," Metta Peace said. "The other night, he had a great stat line. I think it was three, three, five, and four. And that's great. Keep getting better. And then those stat lines are gonna go up." he added.
After showing faith in the young talent, Ron Artest seems confident in Bronny James's abilities. So were the Lakers, who drafted him despite heavy criticism about him being a worthy NBA prospect.