Many people don’t pay too much attention to the NBA Draft after the first round, but this year has been different as all eyes were on LeBron James‘ eldest son, Bronny. And as expected, the young guard ended up alongside his father on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Consequently, this has been one of the biggest storylines in the NBA. Bronny James has constantly made headlines since the Lakers selected him with the 55th overall pick in June, and his teammates have noticed this situation.
Kyle Mangas, for instance, could tell how much pressure surrounded Bronny in only a brief stint as his teammate during the Summer League with the Lakers. The 25-year-old, who is now on the Indiana Pacers, reflected on this experience during an interview with the Locked On Pacers podcast.
“He’s a super nice guy, he’s quiet, he’s pretty laid back. He’s a hard worker,” Mangas said, before revealing how tough the outside pressure on Bronny James felt, even if it was just the Summer League.
Bronny James Jr. #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Sacramento Kings during the first half of the 2024 California Classic summer league game at Chase Center on July 06, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
“There’s so much media surrounding him. We would get off the bus at our hotel, and there’d be 250 people waiting for him to get off just to film and walk into the hotel. You’ve got to feel for a kid like that, there’s just a lot of pressure and publicity, and that’s hard to get away from sometimes. [I] think he handled it pretty well from what I saw,” Mangas added.
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Bronny knows there will be pressure for being LeBron James’ son
Bronny has already dealt with the media attention during his lone college season with the USC Trojans, but this will be even bigger now that he joined an NBA powerhouse as the Lakers. But as the eldest son of LeBron James, he feels ready for it.
“It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it in [social] media and on the internet and stuff talking about [how] I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick has big advice for Bronny James
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who has taken the team’s reins this offseason, has made it clear how highly he thinks of Bronny, giving LeBron’s eldest son some major advice ahead of his rookie year.
“I think you just have to let go of outcomes, and you just have to enjoy the process of being in the NBA,” Redick told ESPN, via Lakers Nation. “He’s obviously case study No. 1. He’s going to be a big part of what we do in our player development program. We’re going to invest heavily in him. He’s got to fall in love with that process and let go of outcomes.”
