Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is in hot water with fans on social media.
James called out a post from a social media aggregator that highlighted ESPN no longer projects his son, Bronny James, to be selected in the 2024 draft. They instead project him to be a part of the 2025 draft process.
Despite his passion, James ultimately deleted the post, drawing some criticism.
“Can you all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” James said in the since-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter, on February 26. “The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”
“No way LeBron actually deleted a tweet after the reaction lol,” one fan posted.
No way LeBron actually deleted a tweet after the reaction lol..
James also made a statement in support of other young athletes going through the same scrutiny as his son. Fans still came after James, some even pointing to nepotism saving the younger James as is.
“lebron deleted that tweet about bronny lmfaooooooo nah no f****** way,” said another fan in a separate post.
lebron deleted that tweet about bronny lmfaooooooo nah no fucking way
“Lebron just tweeted this and then DELETED it LMAO. At least he recognized the hypocrisy. He’s so corny man,” said yet another fan.
Lebron just tweeted this and then DELETED it LMAO. At least he recognized the hypocrisy. He’s so corny man
James was also criticized for the original post.
The charge of “hypocrisy” stems from a post from The Guardian’s Claire de Lune reporting that James was overheard saying Bronny could “easily” play for the Lakers “right now” earlier this season.
LeBron James: Bronny Could Play For Lakers ‘Right Now’
“I love LeBron and understand what he’s saying here, but hasn’t he said Bronny would be better than many NBA players right now? I’m guessing he realized he helped set unfair expectations for his son and maybe that’s why he deleted it,” one sympathetic fan said.
@PPRFantasyTips I love LeBron and understand what he’s saying here, but hasn’t he said Bronny would be better than many NBA players right now? I’m guessing he realized he helped set unfair expectations for his son and maybe that’s why he deleted it.
But there were at least as many fans who were far less understanding.
“I see Lebron deleted that tweet. He must’ve forgotten he said this last month,” a fan said, pointing to James’ previous rumored comments.
“Lebron really deleted that tweet to his 52 million followers, after he forgot he said Bronny could play in the league now over some dudes,” said another fan, echoing those sentiments.
Lebron really deleted that tweet to his 52 million followers, after he forgot he said Bronny could play in the league now over some dudes
This sort of reaction is not completely unforeseen.
Austin Rivers Warned LeBron James Could Loom Large Over Bronny
The Lakers are open to exploring the idea of adding Bronny, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Jovan Buha on February 14. That could be a driving factor in what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says is James’ desire for a multi-year contract with the Lakers.
But former NBA guard Austin Rivers warns the spotlight on Bronny James would be too bright.
Rivers is the son of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and was the No. 10 overall pick in 2012.
Bronny James is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 37.1% from the floor and 27.5% from beyond the arc for the USC Trojans this season. He has started six of his 19 appearances.
He is averaging 6.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists as a starter, albeit on worse efficiency than when he comes off the bench.
There are numerous examples of players being better pros than they were in college.