Bronny James Gets Candid About Dealing With Negativity Amid His Rookie Year: ‘People Think I’m A Robot’

Bronny James sees and hears what people say about him, that he isn’t ready for the NBA, that he’s been given advantages because of his dad LeBron, that he’s getting special treatment.

During an interview with The Athletic, Bronny James opened up about how he deals with harsh comments about his performance and how he’s training to get better every day.

Since being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Draft, basketball watchers and NBA critics have all had something to say about JJ Reddick’s decision to bring LeBron James’ son, Bronny, onto the roster.

The 20-year-old played one season of college ball at the University of Southern California during the 2023-2024 season before declaring for the draft. During his time in college, he played 25 games, averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Bronny missed the first eight games of his collegiate career, though, due to a medical issue after going into cardiac arrest during a summer workout in July 2023.

Consequently, many have questioned if the young baller was ready for the next level, and they’ve not been coy about their reservations.

However, according to Bronny, he always tries to silence his haters by channeling positivity.

“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down, and come to work and be positive every day,” he said.

Although the negative comments can be upsetting, Bronny admitted it “fuels me a little” because he pays attention to “everything that people are saying.”

“People think, like, I’m a f-cking robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions,” he said.

Bronny’s comments arrive weeks after his dad, LeBron, made headlines for his tense interaction with popular sports analyst Stephen A. Smith on the sidelines of a Lakers game.

Although it’s unclear what LeBron said to the “First Take” host, Smith revealed the NBA champion was “very upset” with things he said about his son during an earlier broadcast.

However, he didn’t retract his statements. In fact, he stood by them.

“That’s what I do for a living. And if you’re in the NBA, that applies to you,” Smith said. “I don’t want enemies. I live a very good life. I like to make people laugh and smile and have a good time and all that other stuff, but I also get paid to call it like I see it. And what I said at the time, I stand by what I said.”

After Bronny’s terrible performance against the Philadelphia 76ers in January 2025, Smith dragged the young athlete and his father during an episode of “First Take,” criticizing Bronny’s performance and questioning why he wasn’t playing in a league he could actually compete in.

“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: stop this. Stop this,” he said. “We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

Smith continued and slammed LeBron for allowing his son to play in the NBA when he “is shooting 1-of-16 from the field [and] 0-for-7 from 3-point range.”

He continued: “How are you doing him favors? We know that he’s not ready yet. And I’m saying this with compassion.”

Aside from Smith’s and other viewers’ critiques of his game, Bronny admitted that his rookie season has been a bit of a challenge for him, considering he’s “hopping from team to team.”

When he’s not on the court for Los Angeles, Bronny plays for their G-League team, the South Bay Lakers, which means he doesn’t get to train with his dad as often as he’d like.

“So not as much right now, but for sure, when summer comes and when the offseason comes around, we’ll definitely be in the gym a lot together and working out and stuff like that,” he said.

In addition to defending each other on the basketball court, Bronny and LeBron are also standing by each other in a court of law.

As The Blast previously reported, both men were named in a lawsuit filed in late 2024 by two women who claim the NBA players damaged their vehicle in a car accident, causing injuries that needed medical attention.

The legal documents also allege that the pair of Lakers “negligently owned, controlled, repaired, entrusted, maintained and operated an automobile as to cause it to, and it did, become involved in an accident or collision.”

The father and son duo have since denied all wrongdoings.

via: The Blast

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