Bronny James on Tuesday said he is ready to deal with the pressure of playing alongside his NBA superstar father, LeBron James, as he was formally unveiled by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 19-year-old former University of Southern California player, chosen by the Lakers last week with the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, would form the first father-and-son double act in NBA history when he suits up for the Lakers next season.
The Lakers’ move for the teenager has been greeted with skepticism in some quarters, with pundits questioning whether the Lakers would have drafted him if he was not LeBron James’ eldest son.
Photo: AFP
Bronny James, with his dad standing in the background, addressed those criticisms in Tuesday’s news conference at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo.
“It’s for sure an amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it — social media and ... the Internet and stuff talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity, but, you know, I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I’ll get through it.”
Bronny James, who was unveiled along with fellow draftee Dalton Knecht, was handed his signature yellow-and-purple Lakers jersey for the first time. He would wear a No. 9 shirt next season emblazoned with “James Jr” on it.
“Everything has been surreal, trying to take it all in,” Bronny James said about the whirl of emotions he has experienced since being drafted by the Lakers on Thursday last week.
He appeared with Lakers new head coach J.J. Redick and general manager Rob Pelinka, and expressed gratitude to the front office for “everything [they] have given to me.”
That drew a clarification from Redick, who himself was controversially appointed to the Lakers head coaching hot seat last month despite never having coached in the league.
“I want to clarify one thing that you just said, which is Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick said, insisting that the younger James had been recruited on merit.
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