“Nobody criticized him and he was the third pick.”
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6 hours ago
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3 min read
During a summer league exhibition match between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, Jaylen Brown's apparent sideline comments about Bronny James sparked a huge backlash.
The son of NBA leading scorer LeBron James, Bronny spent just one season at USC before being selected 55th overall in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Benefiting from the nepotism and influence of Klutch Sports Group CEO and agent Rich Paul, the 19-year-old landed in Los Angeles despite a modest college record and has struggled to make an impact in summer leagues since.
Gilbert Arenas, a three-time All-Star veteran who played in the NBA for 11 years, defended his brother James but also took aim at Brown.
“Jaylen Brown, you know what they were saying about him in summer league,” Arenas asked on Underdog Fantasy's “Gill's Arena” podcast. “He was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. The third He was drafted in the NBA. In his first three games, he made 6 of 26 field goals, just like Bronny, while Jaylen Brown made 5 of 26 field goals in his first three summer league games.
Added Arenas: “Nobody criticized him, and he was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. He was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft, and nobody pressured him.”
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Brown was caught on camera saying, “I don't think Bronny's a professional” as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 88-74. James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6% from the field and 26.7% from 3-point range. He suffered a cardiac arrest before the start of the season, which hindered his play, but he still played 25 games for the Trojans before entering the draft.
“Proud to have my son in the NBA with me and it reflects greatness and longevity!,” Brown responded to the comment, posting on X. “Bronny has all the tools to be successful and I'm excited to watch him grow.”
While James showed a little bit of potential defensively, he struggled offensively and his shooting slump continued in Las Vegas, going just 5-of-26 from the field in his first three Summer League appearances with the Lakers and including a 12-point performance on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks, including a poor 0-of-11 3-point effort.
Blaming Brown's appearance in the summer league eight years ago isn't as strong as Arenas makes it out to be. The reigning NBA Finals MVP was a genuine athletic talent coming out of the University of California before joining the Celtics. Boston recognized that Brown's outside shooting had room for improvement, but aside from that glaring flaw at the time, Brown was more than capable of holding his own on an NBA court.
The same cannot be said for James at this point, but only time will tell.
