It's the offseason and that means NBA Summer League. And that means stars showing up to watch the guys trying to make the teams. For the Boston Celtics, that means Jaylen Brown is in town (or in Las Vegas, to be specific).
The Celtics' summer team just happened to be playing the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James — the biggest name, like it or not, on the summer circuit.
James is the son of Lakers legend LeBron James and was the No. 55 overall draft pick. Though no fault of his own, you cannot get away from coverage of Bronny. It can be downright nauseating. And we're not just talking about the 15-year-olds with large social media followings. We're talking ESPN and the rest.
Anyway, to this point the younger James has failed to do a whole lot in summer league. He was particularly ineffective against the Celtics on Monday. During the game, Jaylen Brown was sitting with reported girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick of the WNBA's Chicago Sky, as well as her famous Sky teammate Angel Reese.
Cameras caught an exchange between Brown, Gondrezick and Reese in which Brown supposedly gave the following account:
"I don't think Bronny is a pro," Brown looked to have said.
"He's not," Reese seemed to say, shaking her head.
"I think he'll be on the G League team, for sure," Gondrezick appeared to respond.
None of these, of course, are insults. They're evaluations — and for starters, they were meant to be private. They became the opposite of that, to the point where Brown felt the need to follow up with a post about the entire ordeal on X.
"It's a flex to have your son alongside you in the (NBA)," he wrote. "It reflects greatness and longevity! Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful I look forward to watching his growth."
It’s a flex to have your son alongside you in the nba it reflects greatness and longevity !Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful I look forward to watching his growth https://t.co/qO4muFSvrn
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 16, 2024
Brown is an All-Star, just won an NBA championship, and along with Jayson Tatum, is often the Celtics' best player. The younger James, very clearly, has a long way to go. The potential is there, but no more than anyone else in what really are little more than pickup games of guys hoping to catch the eyes of NBA scouts.
With Bronny, things seem forced, orchestrated. He will be a pro, and at the very least, deserves to be one ... somewhere. G League, overseas, a major NBA project.
But frankly, you can't fault Brown for having his opinion, an opinion he's allowed to have.
(This article originally appeared on Hoops Wire and republished with permission.)
