"We absolutely got high school players better than Bronny" - Kwame Brown questions Bronny James' preseason minutes

Former number one overall pick and retired 12-year NBA veteran Kwame Brown’s recent comment reignited the ongoing debate about Bronny James and his position in the NBA.

As the son of LeBron James, Bronny has faced scrutiny unlike any other young player drafted in the second round. Every move is being dissected, analyzed, and compared to the unreachable standard set by his father.

After Saturday’s preseason game, where the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns 103-81, Brown, who understands the weight of expectations firsthand, sparked a debate amongst the basketball community about James’ inherited hype and potential.

“We absolutely got high school players better than Bronny. Bronny was never the best high school player on his team. He was never the best college player on his team, and he still gets 12 shots in a preseason game where everybody’s auditioning. Nobody passes the ball, everybody is tryna get they sh-t off,” Brown said on X.

Expectations and comparisons

Before he entered the league, everybody knew Bronny would face extra pressure and scrutiny because of the family name he carries. With that also came tremendous hype, which didn’t align with James’ actual performances on the court.

There is a fine difference between potential and actual results. Still, many believe that LeBron Jr. doesn’t even have the right potential to begin with.

Before he was drafted, James didn’t have the college or high school stats to show for all the hype surrounding him, which led to many accusations that he was drafted because of his dad and selected by the Lakers; those accusations didn’t do him much justice.

But James isn’t the only one who got put in the fire of critics. Many sons of NBA stars like Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O’Neal didn’t pan out as expected. But what differentiates them from James is that they didn’t make the NBA, and definitely not on the team their father plays on and the media presence like the Lakers.

Improvements and risks

James is far from a perfect player; no one is, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have many gaps to fill in his game. The truth is that he is an undersized guard without playmaking skills. Those archetypes are quite rare in the league today, as focus is on tall, long guards who can do everything.

Bronny can’t control his physical attributes. Still, he can focus on developing different skills, ranging from passing and handling the ball to being a consistent jumper and a pest on defense, like Patrick Beverly. With that, the mental aspect of being tough enough and finding a consistent role on the team is what will separate him most.

The biggest danger is that all the media exposure and noise can lead to burnout and unfair criticisms and comparisons, which are happening right now. The one upside to it all is that James can use the criticism as fuel and has unlimited amounts of it.

Bronny’s path is reshaping how we view legacy and expectations for the next generations of players whose family lineage is scattered across the league. The attention and criticisms, justified or unjustified, won’t stop coming James’ way; it all depends on how he handles them.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“We absolutely got high school players better than Bronny” – Kwame Brown questions Bronny James’ preseason minutes

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