Bronny James insults fans with contradictory statement and jab at USC

The Los Angeles Lakers introduced Dalton Knecht and Bronny James on Tuesday. Of course, all the attention and curiosity wrapped around the former USC shooting guard.

In a media Q&A session, Bronny admitted to the amplified pressure of playing with his dad before insulting everyone's intelligence regarding the James camp's intentions.

"I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad. That's always there to take part of, but it wasn't a main focus of mine."

- Bronny James

Like father, like son.

I don't have a problem with the James camp successfully executing maneuvers necessary to place Bronny in the best position as a professional basketball player. But I do have a problem with the former Trojan pretending the manipulation that landed him on the Lakers roster is nonexistent. Such contradictory remarks mimic his father's standard practice of delivering phony comments to the media.

Few fans and analysts were surprised when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with pick No. 55 in the 2024 NBA Draft. The former USC guard dedicated most of his pre-draft time to working in Los Angeles with his father. Several NBA teams attempted to lure Bronny for a workout, but their attempts were rebuffed. Only the Lakers and Phoenix Suns hosted the eldest James son for a visit.

Several reports emerged on draft day, indicating the Paul's agency threatened teams considering selecting Bronny. Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers claimed Paul told teams that Bronny would play basketball in Australia, if selected by an NBA team other than the Lakers.

Bronny also took a jab at USC basketball during his media interview.

"I just feel like I've been given the opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn't given that much of an opportunity at [USC]. So I'm excited for what it's going to be."

- Bronny James

Recently, Brian Windhorst suggested the Trojans misused Bronny by playing him on the wing instead of at point guard. Such a concern is valid, but USC had little use for Bronny as the primary ball-handler with Isaiah Collier in place. Collier was the pulse of Troy's offense last season and produced offensive metrics worthy of lottery draft pick consideration.

Bronny's tenure with the Trojans got off to a rough start after a cardiac arrest incident slowed his preseason. Either way, James was far from the best player on USC's basketball team and his surname provided no free passes. Thus, it is ridiculous for Bronny to suggest the Trojans held him back.

The James camp will never accept the value of transparency when addressing the media and fans. People aren't stupid and don't appreciate Lebron or Bronny pretending they're smarter than the rest of us. Despite the Lakers' and James camp's attempts to hide it, nepotism is running wild in Los Angeles.