*Magic Johnson has expressed strong opposition to Bronny James playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, despite the team drafting him 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Bronny has limited college basketball experience and Johnson believes he should develop his skills with the Lakers’ G League affiliate instead of joining his father LeBron James on the main roster.
“If I’m Bronny, I would tell my dad to just let me play in the G League all season so that I can develop,” Johnson said on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Basketball Network reports.
“He needs playing time. He doesn’t need to be sitting on the Lakers bench and not playing. That’s not a knock against him.” he added.
“He’s just not ready. He needs to develop more, and then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills, but he needs to develop those skills at a much better clip if he wants to play 15-20 minutes a night in the NBA or more.”
Scroll to continue reading
We reported earlier that Bronny’s entry into the NBA with the LA Lakers sparked mixed reactions, with sports podcaster Jason Whitlock previously stating that LeBron manipulated his son’s opportunity.
Whitlock suggested that LeBron turned Bronny into a “Make-a-Wish” case, implying he lacks the necessary talent for the NBA.
“LeBron James has turned his son into the Make-A-Wish kid. And everybody in the media is going to play along. Everybody is going to play along, like, not everybody, because we’re not. And some,” Whitlock said. “There are a handful of people calling this out, but you’ve turned your son into the Make-A-Wish kid.“
Meanwhile, LeBron has expressed that his son’s mental fortitude is already at a professional level. In a revealing interview with ESPN, the Lakers star shared insights into Bronny’s resolute attitude towards external opinions.
“Bronny doesn’t give a f*** about any of the outside noise,” LeBron said. “He plays, he works his tail off, and when he goes home, he plays video games.”
Meanwhile, Magic said if Bronny was his son, he’d take a different approach.
“But if I’m his father, he needs to develop,” Magic told Kimmel. “It’s just that simple. The Lakers have done a wonderful job of developing players – Caruso, and so all these guys have developed under the Lakers’ G League coach. They’ve done a good job of bringing guys up and playing them in the NBA.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Bronny James Unfazed by Haters – LeBron Highlights Son’s Unyielding Focus and Drive: ‘Bronny Doesn’t Give A F**k!’ | WATCH
