Bronny James is the worst player in NBA history. That's what people have been telling you since the moment he was drafted. There's no debate Bronnie has had poor performances throughout his first NBA season. But what if Bronny is actually a lot better than we've given him credit for? I decided to do a deep dive into Bronny James with all the information we know about him. His height, his age, his high school stats, his short-lived college career, and his G-League play. But through this, I found something I don't think people are talking about. So, here's the truth about Bronny James. So, let's go back to two years ago. Bronny James is one of the best high school players in the

world. At the end of his senior year, he was projected to be a late first round pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He was viewed as a player that excelled on the defensive end, played with a high basketball IQ, and thrived in a complimentary role. Scouts praised his ability to knock down open shots, make smart reads, and defend multiple positions. While he wasn't seen as a go-to scorer, he was a type of player who could impact winning without needing the ball in his hands. His maturity, work ethic, and feel for the game made him one of the most intriguing two-way guards in his class. Scouts believed he could grow into a reliable rotation player at the NBA level. So, the real question is what went wrong? Breaking

news into first take. Bronny James. Bronny James is in the hospital this afternoon after going into cardiac arrest. Suffered a cardiac arrest Monday and is in stable condition. Bronny wasn't medically cleared until 4 months after the incident on November 30th, causing him to miss eight games from USC season. In his first game back on December 10th, he scored four points with two assists and three rebounds in 16 minutes. He was nowhere near the best player on the court. Bronny showed glimpses of strong division one talent, but he lacked consistency. Bronny didn't start a game for the Trojans until January 14th. But this is shocking when you realize this was only 8 months before he'd make his NBA debut. On

paper, his college numbers don't jump out. And after a rocky freshman year, most people assumed Bronnie wouldn't even test the NBA waters. But then he shocked everyone by declaring for the NBA draft. Bronnie James will enter the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. But Bronny knew something they didn't. he'd finally have a chance to show what he could do at full health. At the NBA draft combine, Bronnie flipped the narrative. He posted a 40.5 in vertical leap, the fourth highest of the event. In the three-point shooting drill, he hit 19 of 25 shots, second best among all participants. Then came the scrimmages where Bronnie looked confident, under control, and impactful.

In his second game, he dropped 13 points on four of 10 shooting, went two of five from three, and added a couple of steals. Scouts noted that Bronnie didn't try to force anything. He defended with energy, spaced the floor, and made smart reads. He played within the system, and impacted the game without needing the ball in his hands. It was the exact type of performance teams look for in a second unit guard, and it worked. His stock shot up from number 98 to number 54 in ESPN's top 100. For the first time in months, people weren't talking about what Bronny James wasn't. They were finally seeing what he could become. After the combine, multiple teams had interest in drafting Bronny. It wasn't

just the Lakers. Teams that showed real interest included the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Los Angeles Clippers. But to be fair, people started getting angry when Bronny's agent, Rich Paul, actually warned other NBA teams not to draft Bronny so he could go to a team like the Lakers. Rich Paul's calling teams, "Don't take Bronny James." He's telling him, "Do not take him. You take him, he's going to Australia." At that moment, it no longer felt like Bronnie earned this position. It felt like he was forced into the league because his dad was the most famous basketball player in the world.

Projected as a late second round pick in ESPN's mock draft, Bronny was elected number 55 in the 2024 NBA draft. And a week later, the Lakers announced they resigned his dad. But one thing I found interesting is during Lakers coach JJ Reick's press conference, he made a special comment about Bronny. Is Rob and I did not give Bronnie anything. Bronnie has earned this. Bronnie talks about his hard work. Bronnie has earned this through hard work. His base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack, defender, shooting, passing. There's a lot to like about his game. And as we sort of build out our player development program holistically, he's going to have a great opportunity to become an

excellent NBA player. So, full disclosure, I've known JJ Reic since about 2018. I did his podcast a few years ago, and then after he retired, he joined ESPN. We did some content together, but we'd also see each other, you know, in between games. Although JJ's not my best friend or anything, I do feel like I have an idea of what he's all about. And one thing he's not is a bullshitter. Like, I don't think he ever gets on camera and says anything he doesn't believe in. And so, when I saw what he said about Bronny James, I thought this was interesting. I didn't think it was just like a head coach defending his player. I think he genuinely believes in Bronny James and his potential. Now, there's no debate.

Bronny had a poor start to his rookie season. Bronny went one of 16 from the field in his first 12 games as a Laker, and his poor performances were highlighted more than any other 55th overall pick in NBA history. Things only got worse. In his first extended run with the Lakers against the Philadelphia 76ers, Ronnie James was given 15 minutes of playing time, which was an opportunity to silence his critics. But he struggled once again, going 0 for five from the field, 0 for three from beyond the ark, and committing three turnovers, disappointing both fans and analysts. This is when things got very bad for Bronny. The criticism couldn't have gotten louder, and it felt like the

majority of the NBA world had made up their minds. He didn't belong. That he was only here because of his last name, that drafting Bronnie James was never about basketball. Every miss shot, every turnover, every scoreless game during garbage time became headline material. No one cared that he was a rookie. No one cared that most 55th picks don't even make a roster. Bronny wasn't being judged like a second round prospect. He was being judged like a failed star. And with his NBA minutes shrinking by the game, the G-League became his only hope to prove that he belonged in the NBA. I had a good friend of mine who went through a cardiac arrest as well. And he played basketball as well. He said when

it happened to me, I was 23 years old. Bonnie was 19 years old. And back then when it happened to him in the early 2000s, they wasn't with going back to performing. It was like if it happened it's over with. There was not enough data on it. It's like you have a cardiac arrest it is over. And he told me he was like man I'm going to be honest. It took me about 2 and 1/2 years to finally get back to just normaly. He's doing things right now less than 2 years. The G-League was the perfect place for Bronny to grow without every move being under a microscope. But his start was rocky. In his debut against the Salt Lake City Stars, Bronny scored

just six points. He committed five turnovers and missed all four of his three-point attempts. A few days later against the Stockton Kings, he went two for 10 from the field and scored only two points. It was clear he was still finding his rhythm. Luckily, a 3-week break gave him time to reset. When Bronny returned in December, something had shifted. Against the San Diego Clippers, he dropped 16 points with two assists and four rebounds. Just 5 days later, he exploded for 30 points against the Valley Suns, going 13 for 23 from the field and attacking the rim with confidence. That wasn't a fluke. Ronnie kept climbing. He averaged 15.2 points over his next stretch and then hit

another careerhigh, 31 points against Rip City on January 25th. This wasn't the same player we saw at USC. Bronnie had averaged under five points per game in college. Now, just over a year later, he was putting up 20.6 per game in the G-League. Now, one thing I've been curious about is this. How does Bronnie James actually compare to other second round picks? Is it really as obvious as everyone says that he doesn't belong in the NBA? Let's look at the numbers. Here are the G-League stats for three different players this season. At first glance, one clearly stands out, but it's probably not who you'd expect. Player A has the weakest numbers, but what if I told you he was drafted ahead of player

C? That's Tyler Smith, the 33rd overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks, 22 spots ahead of Ronnie. Player B is Bobby Clintman, taken 37th overall. He's averaging just 12 points per game on 33.8% shooting. And then there's player C, Bronny James, the most criticized player in this draft class. And yet, he's quietly averaging 20.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. But what if we compared Bronnie James to players drafted more closely to him? Anthony Watson of the Westchester Knicks, was the 54th draft pick and has averaged 12 points per game and 42.6% from the field. Kevin McCuller Jr., also of the Westchester Knicks, was drafted right after Bronny at number 56. But he

struggled offensively this season in the G-League, posting nine points per game on 33.8% shooting. No one expected out of two relatively unknown late rounders like Watson McCuller to be G-League standouts, but Bronnie had all the expectations in the world. But while Bronnie continued to balance his time between the G-League and the Lakers, he showed glimpses of what he was capable of in the NBA, like his fourth quarter three-point extravaganza against the Utah Jazz. But it was only a matter of time before he had a breakout performance. And then this happened. Bronny started showing signs of improvement when the Lakers play the Bucks. He scored a career-high 17 points, shooting seven for 10 with five

assists and three rebounds. But if you paid attention to Bronny's G-League performances up to this point, this wasn't shocking. Playing in the G- League and consistently getting better prepared Bronnie for this moment. Against the Bucks, Bronnie even crossed up Giannis and caught him slipping. Giannis even had to foul Bronnie to stop him from scoring, but a rookie was never getting that call against a former MVP. A few days later, Bronny was back in the G-League. It was one of his final chances to end the season on a high note, and he did just that. He torched the Santa Cruz Warriors, dropping a career-high 39 points on 14 of 21 shooting, including four of eight from

three. It was an explosive performance that led South Bay to the win. But what stuck with me most was what he said afterward. In his postgame interview, Bronnie said something I think I'll always remember, especially if he ends up reaching his full potential as an NBA player. Maybe we were all too quick to doubt him. Maybe we should have known he had the right mindset all along. I belong out here. That's all I'm going to pre. Um, a lot of people said I don't. So, I just come out u worked every day, try to get better every day and prove myself every day. all the criticism that's thrown my ways. Um, it's just, you know, amazing to shut all that down and keep going in my head.