LeBron James Gives Impassioned Speech About Draft Hopeful

“There’s a very small number of men and women that give to live out their dream of playing a professional sport,” he continues. “And we have grown a** men and women out here doing whatever they can to try to make sure that doesn’t happen. That is the weirdest thing in the world.”

As any good father would, James has come to his son’s defense before.

In a now deleted tweet, James called out his son’s naysayers, writing: “Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball. The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do.”

“If y’all don’t know,” the father of three continues, “he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just works! Earned not given!”

James also had a message for other NBA hopefuls, saying: “And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding.”

“These mock draft (don’t) matter one bit,” he adds. “I promise you! Only the work matters! Let’s talk real basketball people!

As he alluded to, James posted the tweet in response to a then recent ESPN mock draft. In the mock draft, Bronny wasn’t just knocked out of the first round. The mock draft had him being selected 39th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Keeping His Nose to the Grindstone

Entering his freshman season at USC as a potential lottery pick due to the momentum he was carrying from the McDonald’s All-American Game, Bronny’s fall from grace has been uncomfortable to watch from afar. One can only imagine what it’s been like in the James household, especially on those overcast days when criticism rains down on him with no end in sight.

That said, the pre-draft process has been good to James’s eldest son. He was among the standouts at the Draft Combine in Chicago, with strong performances in the athletic and shooting drills. In his second Combine scrimmage, he led his team in scoring. Now working out in front of teams for his Pro Day, he’s trying to prove that he’s more than just a name.

While his doubters are still very outspoken, whispers about him being a legitimate NBA prospect are getting louder.