Being LeBron James's son comes with its share of privileges. Growing up with a father who is one of the world's billionaire athletes means access to an extraordinary, luxurious lifestyle.
However, that privilege comes with another side: the pressure to live up to his legacy. Every time LeBron's sons step onto a basketball court, people inevitably compare their performances to their father's.
Bronny James has faced plenty of criticism since entering the NBA, with numerous fans and analysts questioning whether he belongs at that level. Now, Bryce James faces similar scrutiny after his debut for the Arizona Wildcats.
His first appearance prompted Jason Whitlock to label him another "Make-A-Swish" athlete, suggesting that Bryce could receive opportunities at the highest level despite not having the talent to earn them over other deserving athletes.
"We got another Make-A-Swish Kid," White said on his show. "Bryce James is another Make-A-Swish Kid. Arizona, the No. 5 team in the country, gave Bryce James, LeBron's youngest son, three minutes at the beginning of the first half and three minutes at the beginning of the second half… has no business on the Arizona basketball team."
Although Bronny was the 55th overall pick in his draft class, he received attention as if he were the No. 1 pick.
Moreover, his NBA averages of 2.6 points and 1.0 assists over 73 appearances only encourage critics to spread derogatory agendas, claiming Bronny would never have made an NBA roster, let alone joined the Lakers, without his father's influence.
Interestingly, that criticism overlooks the work Bronny has put into his development.
As challenging as it is to fiddle between the G League and the NBA, Bronny has willingly rotated himself between the South Bay Lakers and the Lakers. In fact, rather than treating it as a demotion, he has used those assignments to develop his game and build his confidence.
In 2024-25, for instance, Bronny appeared in 18 contests, averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from the three-point range.
Then, the following season, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, while improving his shooting to 50.5 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from long range.
As evident as it appears through stats, Bronny worked tirelessly on his efficiency
Even if you ignore that, critics often overlook that the Lakers' backcourt depth has kept Bronny from getting consistent minutes.
If Bronny wasn't already getting slandered because of his surname, Bryce's debut with the Wildcats did little to silence James; family haters.
The latter missed all three field-goal attempts, went scoreless, and recorded just one assist, finishing with no other statistical contributions in six minutes against UCLA.
For Whitlock, that underwhelming performance and limited minutes clearly indicated that, had it not been for LeBron, the Wildcats would never have given Bryce a starting role.
"LeBron is forcing them to give him token starts," Whitlock concluded.
Critics will always be unfair to both Bronny and Bryce, comparing them to LeBron only to belittle their morale. However, to change that trend, they need to accept the harsh reality and perform better.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
