LeBron James Backtracks NBA Hype On Son Bronny James As Draft Stock Plummets

LeBron James previously stated that his son, Bronny James, played basketball at such a high level that the ‘heir to the throne’ could suit up for the Lakers at any given moment.

But now that Bronny's development at USC is falling short of expectations (set by the King himself), LeBron is backtracking all of his NBA talk on Bronny, and ridiculing draft analysts for 'setting' unreal expectations around the kid.

Sounds … hypocritical.

Brutally Honest Draft Projections Tank Bronny's Stock; LeBron James Responds in Frustration

As it turns out, Bronny James isn't shaping up to be the first-round selection LeBron originally predicted. 

On Monday, ESPN's NBA Draft evaluations dropped Bronny out of the first round of the upcoming draft. The projection even noted that Bronny could wait until 2025 before testing his value in the NBA Draft.

The slipping draft stock is truly a bit of a stunner, made possible only by the subliminal or blatant messaging put out by LeBron.

LeBron James posted a frustrated response to Bronny's slipping draft stock. The response was a head-scratcher after he blamed the media for setting expectations high for Bronny.

"Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball," LeBron pleaded on X. 

"The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!"

To really drive the hypocrisy home, LeBron deleted the tweet shortly after.

Hoop Nightmares…

When LeBron made the Lakers comment, The King outright GUARANTEED Bronny could take the roster spot from an active NBA player. That's how good his son is … in his eyes.

"He could play for us right now. Easy. EASY," LeBron, the LA Laker, announced in January. 

This season, Bronny James,. guard for the USC Trojans, is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 

Yikes. 

Any college player with that stat line still being discussed in the first round either has incredible luck or incredible blackmail.

But Bronny hit the jackpot: born to the NBA media's darling and all-time talent in LeBron, which made the ‘Earned Not Given’ portion of The King's response laughable. 

After all, James is orchestrating a campaign to coax whichever wants his services next season, they'll have to draft Bronny.

LeBron is exercising tacit pressure on the league and teams to sign or draft Bronny. Whether he knows it or not, Bronny's greatest thorn in his side is the expectation set by his father. 

While dads have every right to champion the potential of their children in sports, LeBron James' promulgation of Bronny's skills last month completely masqueraded the player's deficiencies, promising strengths the kid has yet to cultivate, only to play with the kid in the NBA.

LeBron James invoked the spirit of Lavar Ball but without the gonads to stick with his predictions. 

Word is bond, LeBron.

Follow along on X:@AlejandroAveela