Coming into his rookie season, Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James was the recipient of unrealistic expectations. Given who his father is and the franchise he is playing for, Bronny was immediately put in the spotlight more times than most.
The former USC Trojan suffered a health scare a bit over a year ago, suffering from cardiac arrest during a workout. To be only 20-years-old and go through that significant of a health scare must have been a scary experience.
Thankfully, James was able to make a full recovery and return to chasing his dreams by playing in the NBA. However, the 6’2″ guard opened up about mental hurdles he has had to overcome since that incident, via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:
“I’ve become resilient over these past couple of years fighting through injuries, mental illness, stuff like that,” James said. “Just, you know, coming in and working every day and staying the course.”
Addressing mental health is important with NBA stars DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love notably opening up about their struggles. For Bronny, that health scare is only a year old, so he shared that he is simply taking it a day at a time to get over the hurdles:
“Trying to get past that,” James said. “It’s difficult, but I’m trying to work at it every day.”
Through these challenging times, having a support system is crucial and Bronny gave credit to his family for being there with him every step of the way:
“My family, my parents, they are extremely thankful that I’m not only able to play basketball but also just walk around and speak to other people,” James said. “It’s a blessing to be able to play this sport that I love. There’s a chance I wasn’t going to be able to. So, I wake up and I’m thankful for that every day.”
While unlofty expectations have been placed on the rookie, this development period for Bronny is crucial if he wants to make it in the NBA. Now playing for the Lakers’ G League affiliate, he is getting the necessary reps he needs to find his confidence as a basketball player again.
All things considered, Bronny is healthy and playing basketball professionally. Regardless of what critics have to say, he is living out his dreams and hopefully, he can get a chance to become a role player down the line for L.A.
LeBron James discusses Bronny James’ progress with South Bay Lakers
As expected, Bronny James seems to be spending the majority of his rookie season with the South Bay Lakers, which is OK because it helping build up his skillset while getting time on the floor.
Bronny has already shown significant improvements in recent weeks and LeBron James spoke to his son’s progress with South Bay.
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