Former NBA Player Slams Bronny James After Lakers' Preseason Opener Loss

Image Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Former NBA player Kwame Brown slammed the Los Angeles Lakers star Bronny James and made a bold claim about him. Brown, who has been one of the loudest critics ever since the young star made his debut in the NBA, commented that there are high school players who are better than the 20-year-old. Brown’s comments came after the Lakers as well as James Jr. had a poor start to their preseason campaign.

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a horrific 103-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns. James, who is in his sophomore year of the league, dropped a poor 8-point performance along with five rebounds and two assists. Notably, James, the USC alum and son of icon LeBron James, has been a subject of discussion ever since he was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Many, including Brown, have suggested that he is in the Lakers due to his father’s influence. As the Gold and Purple began the season with disappointment, the former Wizards player got a chance to criticize the youngster. “We got high school players better than Bronny,” Brown said. “Absolutely got high school players better than Bronny. Bronny was never the best high school player on his team.”

Kwame Brown says there are high school players better than Bronny James

“Bronny was never the best high school player on his team. He was the never the best college player on his team.”

(h/t @Fullcourtpass )

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 5, 2025

“He was never the best college player on his team, and he still gets 12 shots in a preseason game where everybody’s auditioning. Where nobody normally passes the ball. Everybody trying to get their shit off because it’s new people out there. It ain’t just you.”

Bronny James Opens up on Performance in Preseason Opener

Bronny James opened up on his performance in the preseason opener against the Phoenix Suns and shared that he was more comfortable on court than what he felt last year. “Yeah, definitely felt like I was more comfortable, especially with the ball in my hand and with the defensive and offensive schemes. But, just trying to feel it out, trying to feel out my role still and just continuing to grow during the season.”

Notably, in the 103-81 loss to the Suns, James recorded poor shooting stats in 24 minutes on court. He shot 1-of-12 from the field and 1-of-8 from the three-point range to finish with eight points. However, it seems that he was not bothered by the poor shooting but was happy with the shots he took. James also went on to say that his legs weren’t as sharp, and hence, there were a lot of short shots.

“I felt like they were pretty good shots, it wasn’t rushed, wasn’t forcing anything. I didn’t have my legs under me as much as I wanted to, so a lot of them were short. But most of them were on line, I felt like I could have made those. So I think I took some good shots.”

The young guard closed by saying that he is trying to make the most of the opportunities given to him during the preseason. He also thinks since there might not be as many opportunities during the season, he needs to play hard to make chance for himself during the regular season.

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.

Former NBA Player Slams Bronny James After Lakers’ Preseason Opener Loss

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