Bronny James will soon be making his NBA debut and fulfilling his father, LeBron James’ lifelong dream of sharing the court with him.
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Despite James Jr. being a late second-round pick, most fans believe he doesn’t deserve to be in the Association.
After all, he averaged just 4.8 points. 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for the USC Trojans. There are still a few who believe in uplifting the 20-year-old rather than destroying his confidence.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is certainly among them and Agent Zero recently made an unexpected comment about Bronny.
Bronny is yet to make a dent with his basketball abilities. He had a forgettable preseason and it would be a surprise if James Jr. finds a permanent place in J.J. Redick’s roster rotation in the long run. However, for some reason, Arenas believes one aspect of Bronny has flown under the radar – his social media presence.
“Everyone’s judging his basketball game, but nobody’s judging him as an influencer,” Arenas said. “Sometimes you got to look at it a little different. He’s an influencer, that’s playing basketball. You’re talking about a kid [who] has more followers on social media than Patrick Mahomes. He literally has more [followers] than a three-time NFL champion.”
For reference, at the time of writing, Mahomes has 6.7 million followers on Instagram. On the other hand, Bronny has 8.1 million followers on the same social media application. A primary driving factor behind it is James Jr.’s e-sports career before playing basketball professionally.
While it’s true that Bronny has more IG followers than the three-time NFL champion, it still doesn’t hide his underdeveloped basketball skills. To earn a permanent roster spot on any NBA team, a player needs to possess impressive hooping skills.
Sure, he may develop them during the 2024-25 NBA season, but as things stand right now, he is undoubtedly one of the lowest-ranked rookies in the league. Keeping that in mind, the NBA community clapped back at Arenas on X (formerly known as Twitter).
One fan wrote: “People judge his basketball game because he plays professional basketball… It’s that simple Gilbert.”
Another fan chimed in: “That all. If I put out a rap album, I’ll be judged as a rapper.”
A fan suggested Bronny could have chosen an alternative route for a career: “He’s a good influencer, even back in his 2k days. Honestly, he could have gone the streamer route.”
One fan went on a furious rant: “This is ridiculous. Gil gotta be on the Klutch payroll at this point. You don’t get drafted because you’re an influencer.”
If Bronny hadn’t been drafted into the NBA, nobody would have batted an eye at his basketball game. But as long as he remains on the Lakers’ payroll, fans and analysts will continue to judge his basketball prowess.
As things stand right now, Bronny may not last in the NBA for a long career. It’s likely that the Lakers may cut him from the roster once LeBron James decides to call it a day.
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