After much backlash when the Lakers sent Bronny James to the G League, many believed it was a closed chapter for this season, at least until the young guard had more time to develop his skills. However, the decision to call him back time after time hasn’t helped either Bronny or the franchise, but only leading to more criticism. And Tuesday’s game against the Sixers was no different. Despite getting more minutes on the hardwood, Bronny returned with no points. But this time the blame didn’t fall on him, instead, it was directed at three other people.
Even without their star, Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers not only held back the Purple and Gold but beat them 118-104. Losing to an eleventh-seeded Eastern Conference team naturally put the Lakers under scrutiny. And the first thing that caught attention was Bronny James’ 15-minute performance, during which he added zero points, three rebounds, and an assist. When the topic came up on Fox Sports Radio’s The Odd Couple, host Kelvin Washington held LeBron James, head coach JJ Redick, and GM Rob Pelinka responsible for the disaster.
“My issue, believe it or not, is not with Bronny. My issue is with JJ Redick, LeBron, and Rob Pelinka,” Kelvin said. “Why are you even putting him in this situation? The whole point was to, what, play with my son. It didn’t have to be, ‘I want to play with him every game’ or ‘every home game’ or, you know, ‘I want to have X amount of minutes.'”
“His confidence go like the demon drop at Cedar Point,” Kelvin said, referencing the free-fall ride in Sandusky, Ohio. “That’s his confidence when I got to go up against Tyrese Maxey, who’s one of the top, what, 15 players in the NBA, going at me, and again, just the other night, I’m killing these guys in the G-League.” He further asked, “JJ, Rob Pelinka, LeBron, why are y’all even letting this be an option?” And advised, “Let him continue to grow, get his bumps, his bruises, play well.”
Kelvin wasn’t the only one to feel that way. Even one of the NBA’s more critical analysts puts the blame on LeBron for the decision regarding Bronny, and he also received support from the national media.