At first glance, it was pure PR gold: In the fifth test game on Friday night, a young newcomer led the Los Angeles Lakers to a much celebrated comeback victory with a whopping 20 points in a row. “Cannon!!! This boy is ice cold!” wrote LeBron James on Instagram afterwards. But the story has a flaw – because the highly praised young star in question is called Dalton Knecht. And not LeBron Raymone James Junior.
“Bronny” James is the son of LeBron James – undisputed star of the LA Lakers, ten-time finalist, four-time champion, first in the all-time scorers list with 40,474 points, the only serious challenger to Michael Jordan in the duel for the honorary title of the best basketball player of all times.
LeBron James came into the league in 2003 as an 18-year-old. The venerable Sports Illustrated had declared him the “Chosen One,” but he exceeded the unprecedented expectations. Even at almost 40, he is still playing at an unrivaled level. For a long time, one of his few remaining goals was to play alongside his son. This dream comes true: On June 26, Bronny James was selected by the Lakers at the annual talent fair as the 55th player of his year. At the beginning of July he signed a generous contract for four years and 7.9 million dollars (7.1 million euros).
And next week the NBA season begins, in which a historic moment will be celebrated sooner rather than later: father and son in action together, side by side. First time in the NBA. This had happened once in American football, in 1921.
But there is no sign of a party atmosphere – on the contrary. After the first five test games, the response is clear: At his current level of development, Bronny James has no place in the NBA.
The numbers speak for themselves: In the five test games so far, he received 61 minutes of playing time from his father’s coach and friend – and scored eight points. Only one in five of his throws found the target, including none of seven three-pointers. There are also six rebounds, one assist and five turnovers. Alarming values.
But the numbers are only one thing. The transition from college level to the best league in the world is huge: every single man on the field is one of the best athletes in the world, is bigger, stronger and, above all, faster than usual. Pass routes open and close in fractions of a second. It usually takes a long time for young players to get used to it and not be completely overwhelmed. And young players are also given a corresponding grace period.
But Bronny James seems to lack the absolute basics: Because after just one year and 25 games at college he doesn’t know or at least can’t do basic running routes, he lets his opponent slip away on defense again and again. His offensive game is also worthy of criticism. “Bronny James is the worst player in the NBA – by far!” says the YouTube channel “Awful Coaching”. Bronny James’ first possession of the game is shown.
“He’s facing perhaps the best defender in the league…could he wait for his teammate to block him so he has the opposing center against him to dribble out? Nope! Just throw to the basket, despite the zero percent hit rate from there. You can’t make that up!” The man at the microphone is screaming his throat hoarse. One of the next scenes is astonishing even for laypeople: James has a clear path to the basket after quickly winning the ball – but he doesn’t use it. “He should just sprint,” shouts the YouTuber, “but he never does that, and I actually mean: never! How many more layups does he want to deny?”
The problem seems to be in your head. But how hard must it be to just relax and play your game in the eyes of millions of people? What’s more: he will never be able to escape the shadow of “King James”. He is guaranteed to fail in the oldest of all expectations, to emulate his own father. Physically it can’t work: LeBron James is a miracle of nature: 113 kilos spread over 2.06 meters. At 1.88 meters, Bronny is one of the smallest players in the league.
And that’s not even the biggest problem. On July 24th last year, Bronny James was in danger of dying after a cardiac arrest. The doctors explained that the culprit was a rare heart defect that was congenital but treatable – nothing would stand in the way of a professional career. Bronny James recently told “Men’s Health” that the incident had forced him to “restart” his everyday life. “I feel like I’m still on the way to where I once was.” That explains a lot. But the clock is ticking.
