It is no secret that LeBron James hopes to eventually play alongside his son, Bronny James, in the NBA.
Bronny is currently a freshman at USC and could potentially declare for the 2024 NBA Draft at the end of this season. LeBron, meanwhile, has a player option in his contract that would allow him to become a free agent and join whatever NBA team drafted the Trojans guard if the Lakers did not.
But it is worth mentioning that ESPN analyst Austin Rivers, the son of Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, does not think this is a good idea for any party involved. Austin played for Doc on the Clippers from 2015 until 2018.
"I don't want to see Bronny play with [LeBron]… Him getting drafted & playing with his dad, I don't want that negativity to come his way. He doesn't deserve it… [He needs to] play somewhere where he can niche out his own identity."
– Austin Riverspic.twitter.com/GwBK2C4GOl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 5, 2024
During a recent segment, the former NBA guard spoke about his evaluation of Bronny both on and off the court and drew from his own experience as a professional basketball player with a famous father.
Austin first spoke about how well Bronny has handled his fame so far:
“I hope it doesn’t happen … I don’t want to see Bronny play with his dad. I really don’t … I went through something similar. It was a very similar situation but also different. I was already in the NBA when I went to go play for him. What happens is a lot of people start to discredit everything that you’ve done. This kid has been in the limelight since he was born. His first day on Instagram, he had a million followers. He’s handled it so well.”
He then spoke about some of the on-court accomplishments the McDonald’s All-American honoree has already experienced with basketball.
When we scouted Bronny, we immediately noticed that his defense was his most compelling trait. Austin also noted that Bronny has a good feel for the game:
“He’s played well at Sierra Canyon amongst talent and was able to get himself to a school like USC. Right now, his numbers don’t scream pro. So if he is to go in the draft or if he gets picked, it’d be great to get picked up by a contending team that could help him put him in a situation [to develop] because he does have talent and he does have basketball IQ and he does have potential.”
Bronny was able to return to play after suffering a terrifying cardiac arrest before the season began.
But even before the health scare, talent evaluators had concerns that Bronny may not be ready for the NBA for several years. While he had shown “NBA potential” during his time in high school, he was never considered one of the best players in his class.
Recruiting services, however, had Austin as a top player in his class. That wasn’t how Bronny was evaluated:
“At this point in his career, just because Bronny’s success isn’t at a top-tier level, him getting drafted and playing with his dad, I don’t want that negativity to come his way because he doesn’t deserve it. He’s not a top-10 pick. He’s not a lottery pick. He’s none of those things. I was all of those things. And then still, when I went to go play for the Clippers, people were like: You’re only in the league because your dad after me being the No. 1 player in the United States two years prior.”
Perhaps most important, though, is the fame levels of their respective fathers.
Austin said that he was put under a microscope playing for Doc Rivers, who is a one-time NBA champion and one-time Coach of the Year recipient. Yet he still received a lot of criticism (like from Glen Davis) even though the two weren’t very close outside of basketball.
That would only magnify tenfold as the son of LeBron, a four-time NBA Finals MVP and 20-time NBA All-Star:
“On a different level, Doc is great. LeBron James is the most popular basketball to ever play other than who, maybe Michael Jordan? It would just be a lot, man. I hope for the kid that he is able to not only play in the NBA but play somewhere where he can kind of niche out his own identity. His name is already Bronny. Everything we talk about with him always folds back to his dad and rightfully so. He plays for USC and his dad plays down the street for the Lakers. It’s an insane situation and the way he has handled it, I’m a fan of Bronny. I really. And I hope he goes somewhere else. I really do.”
Austin, who also gave thoughtful criticism of the Rockets before they eventually parted ways with Kevin Porter Jr., has given this a lot of thought and came away with a strong opinion.
It is worth considering his perspective when we talk about Bronny and LeBron.
