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Austin Rivers Says Bronny James Isn't a NBA Player Right Now

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Elijah Grayson Murray | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 10:38 PM ET

Bronny James' recent play in the G-League and the NBA suggests that he's becoming more comfortable with the game and finding his footing on the squad, but former NBA player Austin Rivers isn't fully convinced yet.

Rivers appeared on Overtime's podcast and was asked by the host if he thinks Bronny James is a real NBA player, and the former 10th overall pick was torn with his answer.

"Oh man...f**k me. Maybe not right now. I think he will be," Rivers said.

"The only difference between Bronny James and someone else is we know the reason why he was drafted somewhere else. There's a lot of guys right now in the NBA that aren't exactly pros, but they will be very soon with development and talent."

"So, there's no difference with Bronny. Bronny was taken because of his relationship to his dad, it's good for business, all these different things, but they also think he could probably be a serviceable pro in the future," Rivers continued.

He continued to talk about how Bronny is being brought on carefully and how he's finding his footing in the G-League and will continue to grow since he's only 21 years old.

However, he ended with a heartfelt sentiment to the rookie to end his take on the question saying, "Just for his healthy state of mind I hope one day he can just kind of go somewhere else and like just go play basketball because I do think eventually he's going to be a pro for sure."

So far this season, James is averaging 4.2 minutes per game, 1.4 points per game on a 25% clip from the field, 0.4 rebounds per game, and 0.5 assists per game in the NBA, so he needs more time in the G-League, but at only 21 years old, Bronny has plenty of time to develop into a genuine pro.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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