Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has not been shy about his desire to play in the NBA alongside his son Bronny. Retired NBA guard Austin Rivers doesn’t want to see it happen.
Rivers recently appeared on ESPN’s “NBA Today” to discuss why he wishes a LeBron-Bronny team-up “doesn’t happen.” The former lottery pick cited parallels with his own NBA journey and claimed that such a team-up would be disadvantageous for Bronny, should he make the NBA.
“I don’t want to see Bronny play with [LeBron James], I really don’t. I went through something similar. … What happens is a lot of people start to discredit everything that you’ve done. … Him getting drafted and playing with his dad, I don’t want that negativity to come his way cause he doesn’t deserve it,” said Rivers.
“He’s not a top-10 pick, he’s not a lottery pick. He’s none of those things. I was all those things — and still when I went and to go play for the Clippers, people were like, ‘Oh, you’re only in the league because of your dad.'”
"I don't want to see Bronny play with [LeBron]… Him getting drafted & playing with his dad, I don't want that negativity to come his way. He doesn't deserve it… [He needs to] play somewhere where he can niche out his own identity."
– Austin Riverspic.twitter.com/GwBK2C4GOl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 5, 2024
Rivers famously (or perhaps, infamously) played four and a half seasons under his father — former NBA player turned Hall-of-Fame coach Doc Rivers. While Austin never lived up to his billing as the No. 1 high school prospect in the country, he did carve out a lengthy career that spanned over a decade. But that didn’t shield Rivers from being “despised” for allegedly benefiting from nepotism.
Rivers averaged 8.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game across 11 NBA seasons.
Rivers added that Bronny’s situation could be even worse given that LeBron James is the most famous NBA superstar since Michael Jordan. The USC freshman, meanwhile, is a much lower tier prospect than Rivers ever was.
Through 14 games at USC, Bronny has averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 37.2% shooting from the field.
