Kenny Smith Sees An Uphill Battle For Bronny James To Make It To The NBA, Offers LeBron A Reality Check

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Most believe that it is a stone-cold lock Bronny James will not only be an NBA player in the very near future, but an impactful one as well. Given that his father is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever live, expectations for Bronny have been sky-high from the moment he decided to pursue basketball.

The reality is, nobody just walks into the NBA. Two-time NBA champ turned analyst Kenny Smith seems to be the only person out there reminding the world of that as he made it clear Bronny still faces a steep uphill battle to make it to the NBA.

"He has to go through a process to possibly get into the NBA that is very hard to get to,” Smith explained on Big Boy TV. “People forget, 75 years of basketball, Big, there’s only been 5,100 players that touch a floor. Ten-day contracts, ten seconds, one second, only 5,100 people in 75 years."

Bronny James' path to the NBA is there, but it'll be an uphill one, according to Kenny Smith. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Smith didn't just offer up a reality check for Bronny and basketball fans around the world, but also humbled LeBron a bit as well.

READ: BRONNY JAMES GETS MORE NASTY COMMENTS FOR BRINGING WHITE GIRL BACK TO PROM

LeBron's message for years now is that he wants to play at least one season with Bronny. With his son headed to USC next season and with expectations being he'll be a one-and-done player, we could see that dream come true in two years.

In Smith's opinion, however, LeBron is looking at the situation all wrong.

"To be waiting on your son to be one of those 5,100, that doesn’t even make sense either," Smith continued. "He’s not waiting on his son. He’s wishing his son would make it.”

Bronny is a legitimate prospect and barring a serious turn for the worst, he will get his shot in the NBA, but Smith's message here is spot on.

LeBron has every reason to believe his son will make his mark in the league given his genes and last name alone, but the odds of it coming in smooth fashion can't be too great.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.