Former NIL Star Bronny James Gets Huge Confidence Boost from Lakers' Owner

The Los Angeles Lakers' owner gave a major confidence boost to rookie guard Bronny James.

Jul 10, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. (9) between plays against the Miami Heat during the second quarter at Chase Center. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James has been facing unprecedented backlash and criticism following the team's decision to draft him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Gone are the days of him being a popular college athlete with the USC Trojans who was rooted for and finding massive success off the court.

Speaking of his success off the court, James was one of the highest profile NIL athletes that the NCAA has seen so far. He ended up receiving a shocking NIL valuation of around $5.9 million at one point in time.

With that kind of success, James had gotten a great start on creating a special life for himself off the court. Now, he will try to develop even more success with his NBA career.

Being the son of LeBron James does not make things easy. Fans and the media have treated James like he was the No. 1 overall pick. His struggles in Summer League were blown way out of proportion.

Despite all of the criticism that he has received, the Lakers have been very vocal in their support of the younger James.

Most recently, team owner Jeanie Buss was on the "Petros and Money" radio show and did not hold back from sharing her thoughts about James.

“We have to let the kid have an opportunity to play and prove that he should be in a Laker uniform. And everything that we’ve seen from him and about him and his work ethic, just some of the things he’s had to overcome being the son of a big star. He works hard, he’s dedicated. He really wants to do this. And if we can have a roster of players with that same mentality, then I think the sky is the limit.”

Receiving that kind of support from a team owner is a big deal. It's very clear that Los Angeles heavily believes in James' ability to develop into a quality player down the road.

Granted, he's not going to play much of a role during his rookie season. It might even be a stretch to think that he'll step into a large role in his second year.

However, a few years down the line it would not be shocking to see him work his way into the rotation.

James does have high potential. The scrutiny that he has been under is completely unfair. He's a late second-round pick that needs to be given time to develop before any kind of judgement is placed on him.