For the ‘Stupid’ Bronny James Plan, Charles Barkley Blasts the Lakers and LeBron James

With Thanksgiving approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers are off to a strong start in the 2024–25 season with a 10–6 record. Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, who the Lakers selected with the 55th choice in the 2024 NBA draft, has been conspicuously absent from the floor for a large portion of the first stretch of the season.

The 20-year-old guard has only played 12 minutes and 26 seconds since getting his shot to play with his father on opening night; the G-League will be his only opportunity to see significant playing time.

LeBron James with his son Bronny

But in the basement level, the Lakers have an odd plan for Bronny. Reports surfaced after the South Bay Lakers’ season began that the younger James would only participate in home games in the G-League. Charles Barkley is really upset by this strange choice.

Charles Barkley rips into Lakers and LeBron James

Barkley called the idea “stupid” and a “bad look” for the player and the club, and he attacked the Lakers and LeBron for approving it on the Bettor Angle podcast.

Barkley stated: “This thing where he’s only gonna play home games? It’s stupid,”. “Well..It’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to the team. Can you imagine the coach of that team? You come off a road trip and there’s a player you ain’t seen in a week or two. And then you feel like you probably gotta play him. I don’t think they’re doing Bronny any favors and they just handled this thing really bad. It’s a bad look for the Lakers and I honestly think— I really like everything LeBron’s done— this is a bad look for him, in my opinion.”

It does seem like it would be bad for Bronny’s growth. The Lakers are focused on winning games this season, and everyone agrees that the younger James isn’t prepared to help the team win.

Therefore, it stands to reason that L.A. would want to make sure he plays for South Bay anyway. In order to allow Bronny to ride the bench until the game is completely out of reach, the organization is only allowing him to dip half a toe into the water before pulling him back.

James is averaging 5 points and 3 assists in 28.5 minutes a game in his first two games with the South Bay Lakers.

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