LeBron James gives stern response to his son Bronny being removed from 2024 NBA mock draft

NBA superstar LeBron James took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim his son Bronny actually “doesn’t care what a mock draft says” after ESPN recently updated its top picks. 

According to NBC Los Angeles, James, who is the league’s all-time leading scorer, gave a stern response after his son was removed from ESPN’s 2024 mock draft. The 19-year-old’s removal came after he was initially predicted as a top-10 pick in the sports channel’s first 2024 mock draft. 

Bronny, who is in his first year at USC, is currently projected to be drafted into the NBA in 2025. But his father’s reaction to the recent update suggested they do not take the mock draft seriously.

“Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” James, 39, shared in the since-deleted post. “The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”

“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,” the future Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers star added in a follow-up post. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE! ✌🏾👑”

Bronny is currently averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, NBC Los Angeles reported. The student-athlete is also shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from beyond the arc. 

The 19-year-old was unfortunately sidelined for five months after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout in July. And though he eventually returned to the court in December after undergoing surgery to fix the heart defect, his projection in the mock draft has taken a significant hit. 

His father, who is still very active in the NBA, has also previously spoken about his desire to play alongside him in the league. “My last year will be played with my son,” the 39-year-old told The Athletic in an interview. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

In January, James in an interview also said his son “could play for us right now” after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, CBS Sports reported. “Easy, easy,” he added.