Since the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, a flood of opinions from stars and analysts alike has followed his arrival in the league. Now, Stephon Marbury—who has recently made headlines for his outspoken criticism of LeBron James—has shared his thoughts on the young guard’s future.
“Bronny has something that none of the people that are playing basketball has,” Marbury said when asked about LeBron’s son during an interview on New York Minute. “He has his father and he has the ultimate staff of people that can constantly teach him and make sure that he stays up to par if he really wants to do that,” Marbury continued. “If he loves the game, it’s gonna show.”
Delving deeper into what he’s seen from Bronny on the court with the Lakers, the former New York Knicks point guard praised the rookie’s skill set. “He has an advantage, he has an edge, The kid is bouncy, he’s smart, he knows how to play. He understands the game,” Marbury noted. “He has a smart father as a basketball player… His father is able to give him big insight.”
Marbury also acknowledged the pressure that comes with the high expectations surrounding Bronny. “He’s in a really good position and a good spot for people to actually wait and watch and see if this rose can really grow through concrete,” Marbury said, referring to the challenges James will face. “But people are looking at it like it’s really not concrete.”
Finally, Stephon acknowledged that he would have taken the same approach as LeBron, doing whatever it took to help his son make it to the NBA. “My man came in like really done up, so that’s why people are looking at it like that, but in all actual reality, if my son can play and he can hold his own, I’m going to do the same thing.”
Marbury and LeBron
Stephon Marbury has recently drawn attention for his outspoken and often controversial views on LeBron James, positioning himself as one of the NBA star’s most vocal critics. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Marbury sparked debate by questioning James’ selection as the tournament MVP, claiming that Stephen Curry deserved the honor instead.
More recently, Marbury waded into the GOAT debate, challenging LeBron’s place alongside Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. In the same New York Minute interview, Marbury once again made his opinion on LeBron’s legacy abundantly clear.
“I think that as a player, LeBron is the most all-around basketball player to ever touch a basketball. There’s nobody like him,” Marbury began, offering rare praise for the Lakers star. “Magic was that for me, but then I saw LeBron and what he’s done. You know, on the winning side, as far as playing, taking everything into account—he’s incredible.”
However, despite offering these accolades, the former New York Knicks guard quickly made it clear that, in his view, LeBron still falls short of the ultimate basketball accolade. “But as far as basketball players go—come on, man—you shouldn’t even be mentioning him in the same breath as Michael Jordan.”