Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has finally spoken out about the media coverage he’s received this season and how unfair it is.
Selected 55th overall by the Lakers in last year’s Draft, James has come in for some harsh criticism from several media personalities. Most notably, Stephen A. Smith recently claimed he was only drafted because his father is LeBron James is and called out LeBron as a father.
LeBron, naturally, didn’t take too kindly to those comments and confronted Smith face-to-face during a recent Lakers game.
In an exclusive interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Bronny didn’t hold back on his thoughts.
“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day,” Bronny said. “But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—— robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.
What Has The Media Said About Bronny?
Some have wondered aloud whether Bronny is the worst player in league history. By the end of January, Bronny had shot 2-of-22 from the field, including 0-of-9 from 3-point range.
Overall, he is averaging 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game through 21 appearances. He has seen an average of five minutes per game when he does take the floor.
Through nine regular season G League games, Bronny has averaged 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals. He has shot 43.1 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three.
Bronny Believes He Is Taking Right Steps
Despite all the criticism, Bronny does believe he’s taken steps forward this season.
“I definitely think I’ve improved, not only as a player, but just having a different mindset as a player to go out and play my game and play the game that I know how to play,” he said. “I feel really good about it — I see the progress.”
On Feb. 12, Bronny scored an NBA career-high nine points and was a plus-10 in a 131-119 loss to the Utah Jazz.
He has shot 8-of-16 from the field since the start of February, including 5-of-13 from deep.