As a mere second-round pick in the 2024 draft class, Bronny James faced extensive backlash for stepping into the NBA before being fully ready. Many critics even went after his dad, LeBron James, accusing the four-time MVP of forcing his son onto the big stage just to fulfill his dream of sharing the court with his firstborn. But Gilbert Arenas shares a different perspective, believing LeBron actually did Bronny a favor, if not anything else, by bringing him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to Arenas, had Bronny been on any other team except the Purple and Gold, the backlash and negative narratives would have been uncontrollable and well beyond LeBron’s reach.
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Arenas on why Bronny being in LA worked well for LeBron
Bronny’s initial appearances only brought negative air around his presence on the big stage. In the Lakers’ first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, he featured in six and went scoreless in four of those. And even in the two games he did manage to register points, his combined total was four. To make matters worse, in his next seven consecutive appearances, he went scoreless in each, which only fueled the narrative about him spending more time on the collegiate scene.
But Bronny’s fortune turned when he joined the South Bay Lakers in the G-League. As the six-foot-two point guard averaged 21.9 points per game, the surge in his confidence was evident, and it translated onto the NBA stage as well, highlighted by a breakout 17-point performance on 70 percent shooting against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
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To Arenas, that proved LeBron had handled the situation wisely. Since Bronny was determined to enter the NBA regardless, joining the Lakers only gave LBJ a better opportunity to make Bronny NBA-ready in no time.
Put simply, had James Jr. been drafted elsewhere, teams might have forced minutes on him regardless of his struggles, risking a complete collapse of his morale. Instead, LeBron ensured his son gained NBA experience while also having an opportunity to develop his game in the G-League without any overwhelming pressure.
“The only way LeBron can protect his son from all elements of everything is if he’s in-house,” Arenas said on his ‘No Chill Gil’ stream. “He has more dictatorship with the Lakers,” Arenas said of LeBron. “Him (Bronny) going to another team; he don’t have no control over those GMs, over those players, over the media at that point. So if they wanna say, ‘This n—a terrible,’ there’s nothing he (LeBron) can do about it.”
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Bronny will need to deliver this season
Now, as Bronny heads into his second season with the Lakers, the circumstances have changed. There won’t be patience for him to just wait and develop. Instead, whenever called upon, James Jr. will need to make meaningful contributions. Considering he has already experienced the ups and downs of the league, perhaps it is time for him to raise his level, and this time, even LeBron won’t be able to shield him when the team sincerely chases a championship.
However, given how confident he looked during the 2025 Summer League and in the viral clips training at the Lakers’ facility, it does seem Bronny’s game is maturing. But will that be the case when the intensity and pace of the regular season arrive? Remains to be seen.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.