"One has a dad in the NBA the other doesn’t": Hoops fans react to the time when LeBron James' son Bronny James faced Reed Sheppard in High School 

By Pranav Khatri

Modified Sep 28, 2024 17:11 GMT

Son of LeBron James, Bronny James, and Reed Sheppard were one of the most talented players in the 2024 NBA Draft Class. The two guards faced each other in 2023 in AAU.

Back then, James was ranked the No. 39 overall prospect, and Sheppard was ranked the No. 28 overall prospect by ESPN. SportsCenter NEXT and NBA on ESPN posted a video of the duo's matchup and the college hoops fans were quick to give their take on the matter.

Some of the fans were quick to comment about LeBron James' influence on his son and were not happy about the level of basketball being played:

Hoops fans react to the time when Bronny James faced Reed Sheppard in High School

"One has a dad in the nba the other doesn’t," commented a fan.

Another fan was not happy with the state of basketball in AAU, "Now it’s all about rich kids in private schools, not true ballers."

"Reed is good but who’s his dad tho?? Rest my case.," commented another fan.

However, some fans jumped to back James and talked about the kind of player he is:

Hoops fans react to the time when Bronny James faced Reed Sheppard in High School

"Ppl forget that bronny was actually nice before the heart attack," commented a fan reminding everybody about Bronny James' cardiac arrest.

"Bronny still nice," another fan complimented Bronny James.

This fan claimed that the fans are frustrated because of his potential, "ronny dunked the hell outta that ball.. the flashes he be giving us is why we are frustrated."

One more fan claimed that it was not James' father's influence that got him into the NBA:

Hoops fans react to the time when Bronny James faced Reed Sheppard in High School

"Anyone who has watched bronny in hs knows he has never been a pure scorer and always a all around basketball player. Scored when needed, defense, good rebounder (for his size) and good passer. He really a type of player every team need. He would have been drafted regardless of last name (just not this years draft he prolly stays one more year), commented this fan.

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Reed Sheppard vs Bronny James, who has better stats?

During his days at Sierra Canyon High School, James averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals as a senior.

The McDonald’s All-American committed to the USC Trojans and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals in 25 appearances while shooting 36.6% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc. He was drafted as the 55th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Reed Sheppard went as the third overall pick by the Houston Rockets. The 2023 Kentucky Mr. Basketball averaged 22.5 points, 8.5 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game as a senior in High School.

Sheppard finished his high school career with 3,727 points, 1,214 assists and 1,050 rebounds.

Which of these players would have a better NBA career?