Bronny James Ridiculously Compared To Tim Tebow As Overrated Athlete
One outlet's "think piece" about the news coverage surrounding new Lakers guard Bronny James drew a comparison to legendary college quarterback Tim Tebow, sending sports fans into a frenzy.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 06: Bronny James Jr. #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Sacramento Kings during the first half of the 2024 California Classic summer league game at Chase Center on July 06, 2024 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
On Sunday, Awful Announcing published an article titled, "Is Bronny James ESPN’s new Tim Tebow, where celebrity coverage dramatically exceeds on-field impact?"
The bulk of the piece talked about Bronny's underwhelming performance in his Summer League debut on Saturday and ESPN's over-blown coverage of Bronny.
While the thesis resonated with some of Bronny's critics — taking aim at ESPN's numerous content hits made off an under-achieving athlete — the comparison appeared to go a step too far when it mentioned Tim Tebow as a similar case to Bronny.
READ: Lakers' Bronny James Already Load Managing After One Game
The author's general association of the two rubbed people the wrong way. Bronny and Tebow were bunched together without much of a separation between their college careers — one player was a bad one-and-done project at USC, while the other muscled his way to two national championships with the Florida Gators and a Heisman win, to name a few accolades.
The article noted that Bronny's coverage is similar to Tebow's as the former NFL quarterback worked for ESPN, amid his attempts to play minor league baseball.
Playing pro baseball didn't last long for Tebow, but his superb athleticism, exhibited in football, sparked serious consideration from ball clubs eager to try out Tebow. At 6-foot-3 and in the ballpark of 240 lbs., Tebow offered proficient athleticism to any curious team; meanwhile, Bronny's stature leaves much to be desired in pro basketball, standing at 6-foot-1 on a good day.
One of college football's greatest players ever doesn't have much in common with a D-grade college basketball prospect.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (15) is fired up after gaining a first down on fourth and one against Arkansas during second-quarter action at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, Saturday, October 17, 2009. (Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Bronny has — speaking truthfully — gained every opportunity at the pro level because his father is regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time (i.e., LeBron James).
LeBron's influence within the Lakers organization resulted in Bronny being drafted in the second round, despite consensus evaluations forecasting Bronny as an undrafted player. Bronny also received a multiyear, fully guaranteed contract as a rookie because of his father.
Make It Make Sense…
Considering how much Bronny has benefited from nepotism, the comparison to Tebow didn't seem to hold much water. Whether the article was published to besmirch Tebow's name or not, sports fans were on fire by the ridiculous comparison.
Fans on X reacted to the insane comparison.
"Tebow won a playoff game, won national championships, and the Heisman, Bronny is only famous because of his dad. Let’s be real," one fan responded.
"Tim Tebow is 100 times the athlete of Bronny," another fan added.
OutKick's Clay Travis couldn't help but answer the ridiculous comparison.
"Tim Tebow is one of the greatest college football players ever, a national champion, a Heisman trophy winner & a first round draft pick who won an NFL playoff game. Bronny James averaged four points a game in college, didn’t start, and got drafted for nepotism. Zero similarity."
Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com