Ball Around

Bronny James Heavily Criticized by Former NBA Coach After G-League Debut

Jeremy Hanna

Nov 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (0) and guard Bronny James (9) during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (0) and guard Bronny James (9) during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Despite being taken in the second round with the 55th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny James has been the most talked about player coming out of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Being the son of living basketball legend LeBron James will have this effect, especially since they were the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game.

However, fans were worried that Bronny wouldn't be able to hold his own on an NBA level, especially since his singular season at USC wasn't all that impressive.

Across 25 games, Bronny started six and averaged 19.3 minutes per game. In that time, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 total rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

When he finally got to the NBA Bronny faced minimal play time and his stats represent that. Across five games, Bronny averaged 2.8 minutes, 0.8 points, 0.4 assists, 0.2 total rebounds, and 0.2 steals.

However, Lakers head coach JJ Redick has said that this is all part of the plan: give Bronny some experience and send him to the G-League in order to blossom more.

Well, Bronny has officially made his G-League debut with the South Bay Lakers, and one former NBA coach isn't impressed.

Recently, Legion Hoops shared Bronny's stats in his G-League debut: six points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block. He went 2-for-10 on field goals and 0-for-five on 3-pointers.

This led to former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl to call out the former McDonald's All-American.

"Is Legion Hoops trying to create news by showing Bronny is bad, like everyone knew he would be??" Karl asked. "This ain’t news."

For anyone who is a fan of the Lakers, this isn't news. Karl is notorious for hating on the Lakers, especially having lost to the team multiple times over his career. His complaints against the team got so bad that he actually apologized to fans back in May.

"Dear Lakers Fans, I was not kind towards you this season," Karl said. "I let my Sports Hate go too far. I have deep respect for the Lakers and consider them the greatest sports team of the past 50 years. I'm sorry. Let's live, learn and love together again. Ok? Coach Karl"

While there has been heavy criticism of Bronny's debut NBA season, there's no doubt that he does have one thing: star power.

After it was announced that he would play for the South Bay Lakers, tickets for the game sold out in less than 24 hours.

While he may not be at the level to play in the NBA proper, he's in the perfect place to develop into a quality player.

More Ball Around: Former NBA Guard J. R. Smith Calls Out Lakers For Scapegoating Darvin Ham Last Season

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Jeremy Hanna
JEREMY HANNA

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