Emoni Bates implies there will be haters wherever Bronny James goes: ‘It could be his teammate, s—t’

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has been in the spotlight from a young age due to his family ties, and now that he’s in the NBA, he is only under more scrutiny. Even his G League performances make headlines.

Few people know what that’s like, but Cleveland Cavaliers sophomore Emoni Bates can certainly relate to a lot of it. Bates has spent time at the NBA and G League levels. The 20-year-old was a top recruit coming out of high school and has had to deal with living under a microscope.

Bates recently spoke about James.

“Man it’s hard,” Bates said of James’ situation. “Everywhere he goes, there’s going to be something or somebody trying to tear him down. It could be his teammate, s—. You know what I mean? That’s how that s— goes. Excuse my language, but it’s hard. I ain’t gonna lie. I’ve dealt with it a long time. I know it’s not easy for him, especially because his name is way bigger than mine.”

It’s notable that Bates would mention the idea of a teammate trying to tear James down because over the summer, there was indeed a controversy involving one of James’ Summer League teammates.

The teammate in question (who remained anonymous) didn’t necessarily have a problem with James on a personal level, but he did say that all of the attention surrounding James caused issues for the team. That claim was later disputed.

Since the NBA regular season began, James has seen some action at the NBA level but has gotten far more reps in the G League. He has had some impressive G League performances lately.

Across nine G League games this season (seven in the Tip-Off Tournament and two in the regular season), James is now averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He is still shooting below 40 percent from the field and below 30 percent from deep, but he has shown some signs of improvement in terms of efficiency lately.

As for Bates, he is navigating his second professional season after being drafted by the Cavs in 2023. He was injured to start this season but is now back in action. The youngster has yet to appear in an NBA game in the 2024-25 campaign, instead getting reps at the G League level.