Austin Reaves sounds off on the ‘bad rap’ Bronny James gets

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves revealed that he’s excited to see Lakers second-round pick Bronny James grow as a player and create his own path in the NBA.

James, the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has been highly scrutinized and analyzed because he is the son of Lakers star LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time champion.

“For me to be able to be around him and see what that’s going to be like,” Reaves said. “It’s going to be very cool for me. I also can’t wait to see Bronny grow. Obviously, he gets a bad rap because of who his dad is. Everybody’s going to hold him to the standards of his dad when the kid just wants to play and have fun and create his own path so I can’t wait to get around him and see him grow and ultimately make a career for himself in his own way.”

Prior to the 2024 NBA Draft, the younger James opened up about how tough it is to be the son of one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA.

“It’s tough,” the younger James said at the time. “A lot of criticism gets thrown my way. But, I gotta deal with it. They don’t know what I’ve been through. I try to make the best of my opportunities that’s given to me.”

While the second-round pick may know what is in store for him, it’s nice to see that Reaves is in his corner as well.

Reaves didn’t have the easiest path to the NBA, going undrafted before signing with the Lakers and shining in a bench role. That led to him getting a major four-year deal last offseason and becoming one of the most important parts of the Lakers’ roster.

The elder James was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and came into the league with massive expectations. Shockingly, he’s lived up to those expectations and more, winning a title with three different franchises while making 20 All-Star teams and 20 All-NBA teams in his first 21 seasons in the NBA.

The 39-year-old is now chasing another title with the Lakers, who he led to the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season and an NBA title in the 2019-20 season.

Meanwhile, the younger James is now looking to prove that he belongs in the NBA, and he went through his fair of trials during Summer League this offseason.

Despite that, Reaves – and hopefully more of the Lakers roster – seems completely on board with helping the former University of Southern California guard develop as a player so he can forge his own NBA path.

It’ll be interesting to see how the younger James factors into the Lakers’ plans in the 2024-25 season and beyond.