Bronny James Ready for Pressure After Surreal Lakers Move

Bronny James said he is ready to deal with the pressure of playing alongside his NBA superstar father LeBron as he was formally unveiled by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 19-year-old former University of Southern California player, chosen by the Lakers on June 27 with the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, will form the first father-and-son double act in NBA history when he suits up for the Lakers next season.

The Lakers’ move for the teenager has been greeted with skepticism in some quarters, with pundits questioning whether the Lakers would have drafted him if he wasn’t LeBron James’ eldest son.

Bronny James, with dad LeBron standing in the background, addressed those criticisms head-on in Tuesday’s press conference at the Lakers training facility at El Segundo.

It’s for sure an amplified amount of pressure,” Bronny said. “I’ve already seen it – social media and … the internet and stuff talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity. But, you know, I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. So it’s nothing different. It’s more amplified, for sure. But I’ll get through it.

New Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said Bronny James has earned his spot on the team through hard work and added that the teenager has a lot to like about his game.

Everything has been surreal, trying to take it all in,” Bronny said about the whirl of emotions he has experienced since being drafted by the Lakers.

Bronny said he had not gone into detail about his hopes for his rookie season in talks with his father, who will turn 40 in December in what will be his 22nd season in the NBA.

The health scare last year, which restricted his appearances in college basketball, had made him determined to make a success of his NBA move. The time that I had off I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more, he said. Yeah, I just feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at USC.