Dec 2, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James reacts during the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at MGM Grand Garden Arena. credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown was right after all. Bronny James most certainly is not a pro.
At least that’s what the lip readers of social media think Brown said while he was sitting courtside during Monday’s Summer League game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Celtics.
An X account mimicking ESPN’s SportsCenter posted a video of Brown speaking with WNBA guard Kysre Gondrezick and her former teammate, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, accompanied by a caption that read: “Jaylen Brown said, ‘I don’t think Bronny is a pro.’”
The video was originally uploaded by NBC Sports Boston, the regional network that broadcasts Celtics games. But apparently it was the post by the SportsCenter spoof that came across Brown’s timeline.
Brown responded by saying that “Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful” and that he looks “forward to watching his growth.”
No denying the caption. No apology. So, yeah. Brown definitely got caught red-handed.
But he was simply stating the obvious.
James went for two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the game that Brown attended, an 88-74 Los Angeles loss. He did bounce back, averaging 12.5 points on 47.6 percent shooting over the next two games before sitting out against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday in the Lakers’ Summer League finale.
In his four games in Las Vegas, James averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 35 percent overall and 15.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Considering it was the Summer League, James put up average numbers at best, with his shooting splits really weighing him down.
Still, there are those who truly believe that James could be a contributor at the next level as early as this season. In their eyes, the 19-year-old wouldn’t be out there making a difference on Opening Night, but the hope is that he would be providing some serviceable minutes here and there once the second half of the campaign rolls around.
If you find yourself in that cohort, it might be time for a reality check.
Even the league itself knows it has nothing special in James talent-wise, and it showed in its Summer League coverage. The NBA had seemingly reached a new low in the highlight department when it decided to post a video of James deflecting a pass against Boston. That was until it put together a nice little compilation of James cheering on his teammates from the bench two days later.
When it came to making James look good, the league only had breadcrumbs to work with in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, it still found a way to nudge the second-round pick into the spotlight, even on the nights he was air-balling threes.
And you know what? With Summer League basketball, that’s fine. Hype up LeBron James’ son as you please. But if the league and various media outlets continuously try to work Bronny James into the news cycle throughout the regular season, basketball is going to suffer.
Bronny James’ career is one worth covering, especially on the night the younger James plays alongside his old man for the first time. But a last name shouldn’t take eyes off the handful of rookies who are most definitely going to make an immediate impact in 2023–24—the ones who should in fact be pros.
