The pressure is on for Bronny James after being introduced by the Lakers

As Bronny James was introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, the elephant in the room was present in corporeal form. 

LeBron James stood behind reporters, wearing a black hoodie, taking in the moment. 

Proud father. Teammate. Historical. Those were the words that came to mind. 

But along with them, came others. Crushing pressure. Nepotism. 

Both Bronny and the Lakers tried to address the latter ones, which are narratives that are going to plague the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as he tries to prove himself while sharing the court with one of the greatest players of all-time, who also happens to be his dad. 

“For sure, amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny told reporters. “I’ve already seen it on social media and stuff, and the Internet and stuff and talking about that I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different. But it’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.”

When the Lakers selected Bronny last month, they made history with the first active father-son pairing in the league. But they also opened a can of worms.

Bronny not only has to establish himself as worthy, but he has to do it under his father’s shadow, a shadow so big and powerful that it envelops the entire NBA, with James long considered the unequivocal face of the league.

It’s a tall task for a 19-year-old, especially one who is still trying to find his game after suffering a cardiac arrest at a USC practice last July that landed him in the ICU. 

Bronny made a notable comeback and went on to average 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games for the Trojans. But he mostly came off the bench and many scouts didn’t deem him NBA ready. 

He changed some minds at the NBA Draft Combine, impressing with his 40.5-inch vertical, 3-point shooting and defensive skills. He could become a great glue guy. He could be a real asset. 

But the problem is his success will always be questioned. If he gets playing time, there will be queries over whether his father orchestrated it. If he beats someone out of the rotation, there will be whispers over whether James threw around his weight. 

It’s so obvious that Lakers coach JJ Redick felt a need to address that, unprompted, when answering a question about why the Lakers selected him in the draft. 

“[Lakers general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I did not give Bronny anything,” Redick said. “Bronny has earned this, right? Bronny talks about his hard work. Bronny has earned this through hard work.”

Pelinka echoed that sentiment, pointing out that he sees Bronny being a “point of attack” on defense, as well as a “rim attack on offense.”

“He’s as athletic as any guard in this draft,” Pelinka said. “And so, we’ll develop him at both sides of the ball.”

But it’s going to be an uphill battle for Bronny. His father is LeBron and he’s playing for the Lakers. Even Hollywood can’t compete with the amount of drama that could come from that storyline. 

Bronny comes across as humble and down-to-earth. His father and his mother, Savannah, have tried to shield him from the public eye. But now he’s going to be thrust into the center of the storm and there’s not much they can do to protect him. He’s no longer an innocent child. He’s now fair game.

Everything he does will be scrutinized. Questioned. Poured over. Unsurprisingly, most of the questions Bronny was asked Tuesday revolved around LeBron.

What preliminary conversations have you had with your father?

“We haven’t gone too deep into that stuff yet,” Bronny said. “Especially because we haven’t even started summer league yet.”

How much did your father still being active influence your decision to declare for the draft?

“I never really had a thought of, you know, me going to play with my dad,” he said.

Will having been around your dad make this transition easier?

“I had my own basketball stuff going on, so I wasn’t really in my dad’s pocket all day, following him around the Lakers facility,” he said. 

Bronny is going to need to establish himself on his own. He’s going to have to gain people’s respect. He’s going to have to be above reproach.

For him to be successful, he’ll have to develop his game to the point where detractors can’t say LeBron used his influence to help him. He’s going to have to quiet the talking heads.

He’s already attempting to shut out the noise. 

“Trying not to care about what other people think about me because there’s a lot of people that have something to say,” he said. “But yeah, I’m just taking it by the day and staying sane while doing it.”

But before everything begins, he has a little longer to enjoy this moment. 

For now, he’s just a teenager whose dream just came true. 

And on Tuesday, LeBron was just a proud dad, just relishing the moment. 

“Everything has been surreal,” Bronny said. “I’m trying to take it all in. I’m extremely grateful for everything that JJ and Rob have given to me. I’ve just been extremely excited to get to work.”

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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