Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James was selected just 55th overall at the 2024 NBA draft but he easily gets the most attention among all first-year players in the league for obvious reasons.
Many have already criticized the former USC Trojans backup for his seemingly poor play in the Summer League and in the preseason, but he also has plenty of supporters.
Among those who have complete belief in James’ ability to perform in the big leagues is no other than Lakers legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
On Saturday, Johnson said that he thinks James, the son of four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, will be just fine — and more — in the pros.
“Laker Nation, I have to tell you Bronny James is going to be a really good basketball player! ” Johnson said while referring to the solid performance of the rookie in LA’s preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
“Last night, he showed he has a few things you simply can’t teach-high basketball IQ, athleticism, and a competitive spirit that makes him a tenacious defender! I believe after a lot of hard work this season, he’ll definitely be in the Lakers’ rotation and playing heavy minutes.”
Even though the Lakers lost to Golden State, 132-74, Bronny turned heads with his best performance yet as an NBA player, scoring 17 points and adding four rebounds, three steals, and assist, and a block in 35 minutes of action.
Los Angeles Lakers, NBA fans sound off on Magic Johnson’s Bronny James take
Despite Johnson’s clear approval of Bronny, many fans online are not ready to buy that thought.
“He was playing against a G league team”
“Y’all lost by 58. Just stop, it’s embarrassing.”
“I think this is the worse possible thing you could do for Bronny and Bron man. I’m a huge Bron fan but you are just setting him up for failure. He should play 5 min in the regular season with Bron and the rest of the year in G league with the South Bay Lakers.”
“Austin Reeves was all big 12 at Oklahoma. Bronny didn’t make his all League team in High School. He seems like a good kid and he has athletic ability. He would have been better served to develop his skills on the college level and prove himself there. This is a farce.”
“Why didn’t you say this before and wait till he got 17 points on bums.”
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