Shaq says the public scrutiny for Bronny James needs to stop: "It's unfortunate for kids like ours, they have to live up to what we have done"
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Before, during, and after the 2024 NBA Draft, Bronny James was the subject of more discussions than any other draft prospect. LeBron's eldest son played only one season in college and had an underwhelming freshman campaign for USC. Despite that, he declared for the Draft and was picked 55th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, Bronny and LeBron are the first father-and-son tandem to play together on the same NBA team. But before that could happen, the critics were all over Bronny and Bron.
According to Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, everybody should get the microscope off Bronny and give the kid a chance to prove himself.
"I would like to get the scrutiny off Bronny James," said O'Neal during the recent episode of The Big Podcast. "Yeah, my nephew. He's a kid, a great kid; all he wants to do is play. It's unfortunate for kids like ours; they have to live up to what we have done."
Shaq knows what LeBron and Bronny feel right now.
Shaq can relate to LeBron and Bronny a lot. That's because O'Neal's eldest son Shareef also had a heart issue before he made his collegiate debut. Shareef also underwent surgery and was medically redshirted during his first year at UCLA. He played one season for UCLA and two for LSU, posting career averages of 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
O'Neal also has a second son, Shaqir, who plays forward for Texas Southern. In two seasons played so far, he has averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Although Shaqir still has two collegiate seasons left, he will end up like Shareef, who never came close to how good Shaq was at LSU. Despite that, Daddy Diesel says he doesn't put pressure on his kids.
"I tell my kids all the time pressure's where you don't know where your next meal is coming from," added Shaq. "You don't have to be like me. I want you to be better than me, and I'm not talking about you as a player or as a person. You know, look at me and learn from all my mistakes and make sure you don't go through the same things I go through." added Shaq.
Shareef went undrafted in 2022
Shareef declared for the 2022 NBA Draft but was left unselected. He played in the 2022 Summer League for the Lakers but didn't get a roster spot. He played for the G League Ignite team during the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 2.3 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 5.5 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Bronny was actually drafted by the Lakers, even if it was with the next-to-last pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. LeBron Jr. is expected to play for the Lakers Summer League team, but it remains to be seen if he can crack one of the final roster spots on the main Purple and Gold team.
It's wild how Bronny is getting criticized for chasing his NBA dream. Shaq said that he hopes Bronny gets his chance to play and the opportunity to make a name for himself. Those are going to be difficult. But he's worked so hard to get this close to his dream and just quit because of his jealous haters.