Lakers News: Former LA Rival Lashes Out at LeBron James for Bronny Draft Selection

A long-time West nemesis has weighed in on the Lakers' decision to draft LeBron James' eldest son.

Oct 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, and forward LeBron James warm up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

As the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has understandably played sparingly thus far for his new team. The 6-foot-2 USC product, son of 20-time All-Star Lakers combo forward LeBron James, has appeared in just two games, and has scored just a single bucket. He's averaging 1.0 points on 25 percent field goal shooting, one assist, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 steals across 4.0 minutes per.

During a recent episode of former NBA All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas' Underdog show "Gil's Arena," Arenas and guests Josiah Johnson, Rashad McCants, Brandon Jennings and Kenyon Martin unpacked L.A.'s decision to select the 20-year-old James, considered something of a flier, in the second round.

When talk turned to former owner Dr. Jerry Buss and his daughter, current owner Jeanie, former Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings shooting guard Rashad McCants called out what he believes to be the nepotism behind the Bronny James draft pick.

“If we gon’ criticize her daddy, guess who gon’ get criticized?” McCants said in response to a reference to Jeanie and Jerry Buss. “Guess who gon’ get criticized too?”

At another point on the podcast, McCants elaborated on his grievances with the decision to select Bronny James in the draft at all, when he was probably not quite NBA ready and was perhaps prioritized over other talent.

"He's taking all the attention away from everybody because of who his dad is," McCants noted. "It ain't his fault. He was put in this position... It's not a situation he can come out being successful early on. We have to wait for him to be successful. We have to wait for his development... Before he got picked 55th, he was LeBron James' son... That's the point. It ain't no knock on him."

McCants knows of what he speaks. Across four NBA seasons from 2005-09, McCants averaged 10.0 points on .431/.368/.741 shooting splits, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.7 steals a night, mostly off the bench.

Arenas, himself a former second round draft pick, talked about the relative early treatment of a second round pick in the league.

"How many players didn't even make the roster that got drafted [this year]? Already eight or nine. Come on, there's no expectations on these [second round] guys, man," Arenas said. "The fact that he got in a preseason game, he should be good. I got in a preseason game and fell... Robert Horry did a hard shoulder on me, I [had] never seen that before and just fell."

Arenas, an eventual three-time All-Star, was selected with the No. 31 overall pick out of Arizona in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He blossomed into one of the league's best playmakers when he jumped ship to the Washington Wizards, but his prime was cut short by personal drama and injury issues. He last played in the NBA in 2011-12, then spent a year abroad with CBA club the Shanghai Sharks before hanging up his sneakers for good.

"But that's what a second round pick is," Arenas continued. "You get in these little minutes of the games. And when [the] season starts, he might get in the game here and there, might miss 10 games, might go to the G League, play some games down there, come back up. Might sit... If he plays more than 16 actual games, he did good."

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