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Nick Wright came to the defense of Bronny James, the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, after backlash over his rookie deal with the LA Lakers. Bronny, son of LeBron James, signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with a team option for the fourth season.
Jeff Goodman pointed out that last year’s No. 55 pick, Isaiah Wong, was only able to sign a two-way deal and earned somewhere in the $600-700K range.
Wright argued that comparing Bronny James’ contract to Wong’s was “disingenuous” and “unfair.”
“This is so disingenuous & unfair to the kid involved,” Wright said. “For the record, the 57th & 58th picks of last year’s draft got essentially the same exact deals Bronny just got. Let’s at least try to be fair here.”
Last year's 57th and 58th picks were Trayce Jackson-Davis and Chris Livingston.
Bronny James was drafted 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
In his senior year of high school, Bronny James averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. His lone collegiate season at USC, was challenging, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game
Despite a cardiac arrest incident last summer, his draft stock rose following an impressive performance at the Draft Combine, showcasing his shooting skills by hitting 78% in the side-mid-side 3-point drill and going 19-for-25 in the 3-point star drill, both second-best marks.
Bronny James says he wants to make a name for himself
During his introductory presser, Bronny James emphasized that he wanted to make a name for himself and not just be known as the son of LeBron.
“I’m trying to get my name out for myself,” he said. “I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad. That’s always there to take part of, but it wasn’t a main focus of mine.”
Bronny acknowledged the added pressure of being LeBron’s son but said he has been handling such pressure his entire life.
“It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure,” he said. “I’ve already seen it in (social) media and on the internet and stuff talking about (how) I might not deserve an opportunity."
"But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it.”
Bronny is expected to play significant minutes in the G-League in the upcoming season.
