Dwyane Wade defends Bronny: “LeBron put a lot of pressure on his son”

Bronny James continues his quest to consolidate a place on the Los Angeles Lakers' main roster. The eldest son of LeBron James was selected as the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

While questions about his potential persist, his performance has steadily improved as the current season progresses.

Bronny’s first season with the Lakers

At 20 years old, Bronny has seen limited playing time in the NBA -appearing in 19 games and averaging just 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 4.8 minutes per game. However, his recent displayshave shown promise, making him a potential asset for the near future. Additionally, in the NBA G League, he’s been a standout, averaging 17.4 points per game over 16 appearances.

Recently, ‘King’ James found himself in a public dispute with journalist Stephen A. Smith over criticisms aimed at his son, which sparked a wide range of opinions on the matter - including a face-to-face encounter with the player’s father, in which Smith claims LeBron warned him to stop “talking shit about my son”.

Wade says LeBron was only acting as any father would

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade defended LeBron, acknowledging that Smith was simply doing his job as a journalist but stating he would have reacted the same way if he were in LeBron’s shoes.

Wade, who played alongside LeBron during their time with the Heat, remarked that LeBron had put significant pressure on his son by thrusting him into the spotlight. He even referenced one of his own 2023 posts to support his comments.

LeBron James expressed his confidence in his son leading up to the NBA Draft, posting on social media, “Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching on league pass today”.

Wade shared his thoughts in an interview with NBA Beyond Court, saying, “Like Stephen A. Smith said, that was a father. That was point-blank period, a father. He knows his son, he knows if it has affected his son in any way, they have conversations in the household. That was strictly a father, that was not LeBron James, one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen, that was strictly a dad. And from a dad perspective, ‘I’m at you'. But... from another perspective, [Smith is] doing his job, you’re not wrong for doing your job.

“And two, Bron is my guy, but Bron did put some extra heat on Bronny. When Bron put out that tweet about “He’s better than these cats in the NBA,” they checked that. It was, ‘Ok’ so they are waiting on something. A lot of people saw it and said, “Alright, let’s take a closer look at Bronny’s performances.

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