Bronny James opened USC's recent game against Cal with a three-pointer hit at the top of the arc. Furthermore, Bronny hit the shot despite prominent boos ringing out at Haas Pavillion. However, while Bronny's diehard supporters claimed that Bronny was proving his god-like hype, other hoop fans weren't as impressed. Bronny would go on to make just one other basket during the game, finishing with 5 points and 5 rebounds as USC lost 83-77. LeBron James, Bronny's father, was in attendance for the game and happily embraced his song after the OT loss. Bronny played 28 minutes but continued to be a non-factor for the Trojans as they dropped to 3-9 in conference play and dead last in the Pac-12. USC was projected to finish 2nd in the preseason media poll.
While the life-changing circumstances of Bronny's cardiac arrest last July must be considered, the son of one of basketball's greatest players is simply not living up to the hype. He is currently averaging 5.8/3.0/2.5 a game and has completely fallen out of most NBA mock drafts. However, Bronny still commands a rabid fanbase who believe that he is poised to take over from his father in the NBA, despite the subpar basketball that he is playing.
Austin Rivers And Stephen Jackson Feud About Bronny James
Meanwhile, the topic of Bronny recently sparked a feud between Austin Rivers and Stephen Jackson. Jackson called Rivers "trash" and "a scrub" after Rivers spoke about Bronny on ESPN. It was a bizarre reaction given that Rivers' point was that Bronny and LeBron shouldn't play together so that Bronny had the chance to forge his own legacy in the NBA. "I don't want to see Bronny play with [LeBron]... Him getting drafted & playing with his dad, I don't want that negativity to come his way. He doesn't deserve it... [He needs to] play somewhere where he can niche out his own identity," Rivers told NBA Today.
Later, Rivers would respond to Jackson on X, formerly Twitter. "All smiles…I didn’t even have to fight my own battles with ignorance, yall corrected it for me!! Thank you for not siding with delusion. Have a blessed day," Rivers wrote.
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