On Monday afternoon, LeBron James expressed frustration over the continuous speculation about his son Bronny James’s future NBA Draft position. Bronny, a freshman at USC, was the subject of a post by “NBACentral” on X, a basketball news aggregator, which reported that he had been dropped from ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft and was now being projected for the 2025 draft.
LeBron James took to social media to plead for his son to be allowed to enjoy his college basketball experience without the constant draft predictions. He emphasized the value of hard work over draft speculations.
“Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” James posted. “The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”
NBA DRAFT NEWS & RUMORS: LeBron James, Bronny James, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
He didn’t hold back in his criticism of the mock drafts, encouraging young athletes to stay focused on their goals and ignore such distractions.
“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,” James continued. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”
Further intrigue was added to the discussion when ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony clarified on social media in response to a misleading post by On3, which suggested Bronny was removed from the 2024 mock draft due to his health.
Givony corrected the misunderstanding, noting Bronny hadn’t been included in the 2024 draft projections since experiencing a heart issue in July.
“I know that accuracy isn’t a big thing for you guys, but he hasn’t been on the 2024 mock draft since his heart issue in July,” Givony posted.
NBA DRAFT NEWS & RUMORS: LeBron James, Bronny James, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
While On3 updated its report and social media statements, the original post by NBACentral remained unchanged on X.
According to ESPN, Bronny is anticipated to be the 39th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. As LeBron James’s eldest son and a promising high school basketball talent, Bronny has attracted significant attention.
His first season at USC has been closely watched, especially following a cardiac arrest he suffered in July while practicing at the Galen Center. Since returning to play, Bronny has contributed an average of 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
