At this point, it seems Bronny James will enter the 2024 NBA draft. The combine in Chicago has significantly altered his reputation, not just amongst his peers but also the NBA teams. The 19-year-old was exceptional in drills. He was vivacious in his second scrimmage, topping his team in scoring. His father watched on proudly from the stands. However, the most moving part about his persona was his maturity and humility. Being the son of LeBron James hadn’t had any impact on his ego.

“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself and, of course, get to the NBA. I never thought about playing with my dad. But of course, he’s brought it up a couple times,”. the basketball prodigy said. Being optimistic while also addressing reality was one trait of his that rang louder than any.

He doesn’t think he is as good as LeBron James. Nor does Bronny have aspirations of being the ‘superstar’ at this point in his career. But the USC product knows he can make an instrumental impact with his play style. During the recent ‘Mind the Game’ podcast, James reacted to his son’s draft combine performance and exuded pride.

Bronny James is under greater scrutiny than LeBron James

James’ eyes were radiant when speaking about his son chasing his NBA dream. The 39-year-old Lakers forward spoke about Bronny’s self-consciousness. The four-time MVP revealed how his son’s unpretentious nature didn’t cultivate itself through conversations. It was the first time he was hearing Bronny face such questions.

Despite having been heavily involved Bronny’s journey, LeBron James differentiated himself and his son. “He’s definitely not his father and I’m not him,” he said. Surprisingly, James admitted his elder son might be facing larger adversity than he did due to the 24/7 existence of social media.

“I wouldn’t be able to handle all the scrutiny and all the things that he got going on you know at his age, at this level, and with social media. Like, I didn’t have social media to deal with when I came in at 18. I did have a lot of scrunity. I did have a lot of things that was put on my shoulders. But I didn’t have, you know, every single day, around the clock, news coverage, sports shows things of talking about this particular person every single day,” James told Reddick.

Already a face of Sports Illustrated at 18, LeBron James was touted as ‘The Chosen One’. He even had it engraved on his back, further fueling the fire that would burn if he failed. He always saw his development from the perspective of being a star. And why not? The King was and remains a generational freak who was precisely put together for the game.

USA Today via Reuters

Bronny is only the son of such blinding greatness so far. He has yet to chase his own path. However, he can’t evade the comparisons. Having the last name the same as Bron comes at a steep price. At 19, he has been deemed ‘not good enough’ by major sports media houses. Experts are speaking about his inadaptability to survive in the NBA. This is on top of the relentless attention from media outlets to the point he can’t decide his own narrative.

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What prevails though is his humble nature and immense maturity. He has endured the hits and is still standing tall ready to battle and prove he is worthy on his own merit. “To see him handle it, you know, with such class and so, you know just like self-awareness and just staying even keel is just a remarkable thing, man. And super proud of him,” James said regarding Bronny.

Do you believe Bronny James will get an opportunity to realize his dreams? Let us know what you think in the comments below.