"If Bronny James' father was not LeBron, would anybody care": Mad Dog fumes at latest NBA draft hype around USC guard
Bronny James could be joining his father in the NBA. The USC Trojans guard has declared for the NBA draft, which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday.
James's freshman season was marred by a cardiac arrest that occurred during a training session in July, which delayed his collegiate debut and limited his play. Yet, the son of basketball legend LeBron James has a real possibility to get his name called during the two rounds.
This has not sat well with ESPN's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo.
"If LeBron James was not Bronny James' father, would anyone care? ... He would not be an issue. Nobody would care," Russo said Wednesday on "First Take." (Timestamp: 4:15.)
Bronny James was a talented high school basketball player, and due to the one-and-done rules, he had to play at least one season of college basketball before making the move to the NBA to potentially join his father.
Due to both his skills and his father, it was predicted that Bronny would have a dominant season with the USC Trojans. But his cardiac incident changed everything. He missed most of the early part of the season, playing his first game in December in an overtime loss to Long Beach State.
Throughout the rest of the season, Bronny struggled, recording more than 10 points in only three games and averaging 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game.
After putting up these numbers in a season where he was not 100%, Bronny James declared for the NBA draft. The move divided analysts and pundits. Some, like Russo, think that if any other player did this, they would not declare for the NBA draft, and if they did, no team would realistically want them.
But, as Bronny is the son of one of the world's most known athletes, teams are interested in him, despite a season of struggles for both the freshman and the team.
A USC teammate praises Bronny James
While some analysts and commentators criticized the prospect of Bronny James entering the NBA, one of his teammates believes James will be able to make it, even after one season in college.
Isaiah Collier, James's teammate at Sierra Canyon School and a fellow freshman with the Trojans, told Andscape:
"The NBA is going to be great for him. People haven’t seen as much as what we’ve seen as a team. He’s going to be a great player. Little that people know, he’s really good"
Using a draft pick on Bronny James seems like a massive gamble. While, as Collier says, few have seen what he is like in practice, games are won and lost in competition. James hasn't impressed in games, albeit while recovering from injury.
A fully healthy Bronny should be far better than what he was this year. But as teams have not seen this yet, they will be making a decision based on both his high school play and who his father is.