Bronny James has been one of the biggest stories of the summer after going 55th overall to the Lakers . But after completing his first-ever Summer League stint, one Lakers player is speaking out on supposed preferential treatment.
“The attention he attracted was ‘very frustrating’ for the players to see, and his alleged star treatment caused friction among the team, which went 0-5 to start the tournament, per a Lakers insider,” wrote Steve Brenner and Damian Burchardt of the US Sun . “‘That kind of tension didn’t help the group of players to build chemistry,’ said an anonymous Lakers player. "‘And you could feel that there was no unity [between] this group of guys as Bronny was the main guy and the others didn’t feel that it was right, that he deserved that.'”
“Along the way, Bronny’s reps made the guard unavailable for media availability on several occasions, which the source labeled as ‘not nice’ toward his teammates and other franchise members,” wrote Brenner and Burchardt. "‘With dealing with Bronny’s attention and treatment, plenty of the other young guys that are trying to make the roster for next season couldn’t show their best side and show their A game.'”
As the son of basketball royalty, it was no surprise that Bronny came in with a massive spotlight over his head. As the first Father-son tandem on an NBA roster, they are on the verge of history together and it's become a popular storyline to follow.
In the process, however, Bronny has overshadowed his other teammates, much of whom have just as much claim to a roster spot as he does. Despite being a second-round pick, James is getting the attention and adoration of a superstar and it was making it difficult for his Lakers teammates to stay focused on their own development.
Even the Lakers' first-round pick, Dalton Knecht out of Northeastern Junior College, fell into obscurity in Summer League while Bronny continued to soak all the limelight.
While it's no fault of Bronny's, his mere connection to LeBron has come with some unforeseen consequences, and not everyone is a fan of the impact it has had.
Combine his popularity with a relatively modest showing on the court and it gets even more understandable why some players might be upset. James averaged 4.8 points per game in college and started the Summer League going 0-15 from beyond the arc .
There are doubts that Bronny should have even been drafted, let alone given a four-year guaranteed contract worth $7.9 million.
As the Lakers continue to insist that Bronny has earned his spot in the league, it's abundantly clear that he gets an extra advantage in the league for being LeBron James ' son. Whether you love him or hate him, Bronny is not your typical second-round pick and he's been given an easier path than most to the NBA.
For Bronny to succeed at the NBA level, and create his own legacy of success, he'll need to earn the respect of his peers and prove to the world that he's an NBA player on his own merits, not just because his father said so. For James to dispel the myths, he'll have to work twice as hard as everyone to show that his success is the result of his own hard work.
Related: Austin Reaves On Bronny James: "He's Always Gonna Get A Bad Rep For Multiple Reasons As LeBron's Son"
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