NBA executive evaluates LeBron James' son Bronny James to be better than Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother: Reports
LeBron James' son, Bronny James, has dominated headlines amid his NBA Draft combine showing. Rumors about his league prospects have caught steam amid an excellent performance. According to NBA insider Eric Pincus, one Eastern Conference executive has evaluated James' son as a better prospect than Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother, Kostas Antetokounmpo.
"[Bronny] James is not getting attention exclusively because of his father," Pincus wrote. "One former Eastern Conference executive noted that James is a significantly better prospect than Kostas Antetokounmpo was in the 2018 draft (selected by the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 60 on behalf of the Dallas Mavericks).
"In that case, he was chosen more because it might curry favor with his brother Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his NBA career was appropriately brief."
Kostas entered the draft in 2018 as the last pick. He played his first season in Dallas, spending most of his time with its G-League affiliate, the Texas Legend. Kostas played two games with the Mavericks before getting waived.
LeBron James' LA Lakers, widely expected to draft Bronny, acquired Kostas Antetokounmpo in 2019. He played five games that season before playing 15 more the following year. Kostas became the first Antetokounmpo brother to win a championship in LA.
However, he didn't contribute much in his 22-game NBA career across three seasons and eventually returned to Europe in 2021, where he played for ASVEL, Fenerbache and Panathinaikos.
While Bronny James' draft projections are similar to Kostas Antetokounmpo's, his ceiling seems higher as a 3-and-D wing, who can be a solid fit if developed well in modern-day NBA schemes.
Bronny is also viewed for other assets like his market value and revenue prospects because of LeBron James, which Kostas Antetokounmpo didn't carry into his draft process as Giannis Antetokounmpo's younger brother.
Bronny James' NBA draft stock trends up, citing "intangible assets"
Bronny James is changing the narrative about his game after a solid run during scrimmages and drills at the draft combine. However, the standout aspect during this stretch is his "intangible assets." NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that these factors have "polarized' people around the league.
"Everyone around the league is polarized by Bronny simply because he checks off the boxes in terms of possessing the intangible traits teams look for in draft prospects," Siegel wrote.
Bronny's interviews have stood out at the draft combine, where he has opened up on changing the narrative and making a name for himself rather than depending on being LeBron James' son.
Bronny James probably generated interest across the league by saying he aims to carve out a role like Derrick White or Davion Mitchell to instantly impact winning for the team he suits up for instead of gunning to be a star, which may not be his ceiling after all.