LeBron James wants people to just let his son, Bronny James Jr., “be a kid” and enjoy college basketball.
The NBA superstar took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his frustration after ESPN took Bronny out of its 2024 NBA Mock Draft, instead mocking him at pick No. 39 in 2025.
However, LeBron’s frustration — or, at least, his willingness to share it with the world — was apparently short-lived, as he quickly deleted the posts shortly after blasting them out to his nearly 53 million followers.
Here’s what the NBA superstar had to say about all the speculation surrounding his son.
MORE: Bronny James cardiac arrest timeline
LeBron James’ tweets about his son
“Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” LeBron wrote. “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!”
Bronny is a freshman at the University of Southern California, where he’s averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game on 37.1 percent shooting from the floor in 19 games. He missed the first eight games of the season recovering from cardiac arrest that he suffered in practice over the summer.
LeBron replied to his original post encouraging all young athletes to not pay attention to the mock drafts and just “keep grinding.” This post was also deleted.
“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,” LeBron wrote. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE! ✌🏾👑”
Bleacher Report got a screenshot of both posts before LeBron deleted them:
LeBron chimes in on Bronny’s critics and mock draft placing pic.twitter.com/74DwLSpJsN
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 26, 2024
Bronny James mock draft projection
ESPN’s NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony ultimately removed Bronny from his mock draft due to his performance at USC as a freshman. He said he hasn’t stepped up enough to be a one-and-done player.
“Bronny James has not produced like a one-and-done player this season,” Givony said on NBA Today. “He’s averaging 5.5 points per game, shooting under 40 percent from the field for a USC team that has the worst record in the PAC-12. That’s not one-and-done caliber.”
Went on NBA Today to talk about Bronny James’ season at USC, what makes him interesting as an NBA prospect, and why he’s currently projected in our 2025 mock draft. pic.twitter.com/QRXwQNf90o
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) February 26, 2024
While ESPN did remove Bronny from its 2024 NBA mock draft, he is included in the ’25 mock draft, assuming he returns to USC for his sophomore season. Givony slotted him at No. 39 in the 2025 draft.
“I love Bronny James’ game still,” Givony said. “We have to remember that this kid missed four months with a heart issue starting in July that really seems to have derailed his season. He’s one of the best defenders in his freshman class. He’s phenomenal at getting over screens, mirroring one-on-one, busting up handoffs … generating turnovers. He’s physical, he’s competitive, he’s got a great feel for the game. I think if Bronny James comes back for his sophomore season, we’re gonna see a completely different guy. We’re gonna see someone that really could be a lottery pick still.”
Although Bronny is talented in his own right, his name weighs a lot considering LeBron may want to play on the same team as his son. Teams may be willing to take a shot on Bronny if it means they also acquire LeBron for the remainder of his career.
Either way, it will be a while before Bronny graces a basketball court with his father. Just how long depends on who you ask.
