Bronny James understands some people believe he was only drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers because of his legendary father LeBron, but says he will “get through” the negative talk.
The 19-year-old was the 55th choice of the draft in New York on Thursday after weeks of speculation about which team he would end up at.
No father-son pairing has played together in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
“For sure there’s an amplified amount of pressure,” James said on Tuesday before his first training session.
“I’ve already seen it on social media and the internet, talk about how I might not deserve an opportunity.
“But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life so it’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I’ll get through it.”
James has completed his first year of college basketball with the University of Southern California Trojans, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game.
His season was cut short because of a cardiac arrest and Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes he has huge potential to become an “excellent NBA player”.
“His base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defending, shooting, passing – there’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick added.
“As we build out our player development program holistically, he’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”