"Poor kid being used for his dads legacy" - NBA fans stunned over Bronny James heading to G-League after Lakers' road trip
After making his NBA debut in Tuesday's season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bronny James will travel with the team on an upcoming five-game road stretch before bouncing back and forth between the G League and the NBA.
NBA insider Shams Charania, who joined ESPN heading into this season, broke the news on Friday morning. According to his report, Bronny will be traveling with the Los Angeles Lakers from Oct. 28 to Nov. 6, and then will be going back and forth between the NBA and the G League.
While it's no surprise that Bronny will be spending time in the G League, fans were quick to weigh in on the situation, with some surprised by the development given that the Lakers are bringing Bronny on the road before his G League assignment begins.
"Poor kid being used for his dads legacy," one fan wrote.
"He doesn’t even belong in the G league. This is such a publicized clown show because the league kisses Lebrons ass," another fan added.
"So basicallly, they’re parading this kid around the nba and then will start the process of improving him as a player," one fan questioned.
Others also weighed in:
"Didn’t Rich Paul say Bronny was never gonna be a G League player?" one fan wrote.
"N--ga he get a press run before the G league ?! Lmfao" another fan joked
"Lmao I thought he was never going to the G League huh?" one fan wrote.
"His job is to put the work in,": LeBron James speaks about Bronny James' development and G League stint
Before the 2024 NBA draft, Rich Paul said that Bronny James wouldn't be spending time in the G League, and that he was focused on finding the right fit for his client so he could develop in the NBA.
Now, however, with Bronny inevitably facing a stint in the G League, many have been wondering what changed. If we look back at LeBron James' comments during the Lakers' media day, however, Bronny James' stint in the G League shouldn't come as a surprise.
As LeBron told media members, Bronny James' job is to put the work in and get better. Whether that growth takes place in the NBA or the G League doesn't matter to him:
"Just [looking forward to] seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player no matter if it's here with us or if it's down with the G League team and him continuing to get better and better and better."
"His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us. And we want to hold him accountable, and he's going to hold us accountable. And if we all do that, we all get better, because we're all one team. We're a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us."
While Bronny hasn't spoken about the situation since Charania's report on Friday, he'll likely field questions about the situation from media members in the days to come between now and when his G League assignment begins.
The Lakers will be back in action tonight for a home game at the Crypto.com Arena against the Phoenix Suns before the team faces off against the Sacramento Kings in the second leg of a back-to-back before hitting the road.