LeBron James is mocking a mock draft.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer came to the defense of his son Monday after ESPN removed Bronny James from its 2024 NBA mock draft. ESPN, which in its first 2024 mock draft had James projected as a top-10 pick, now expects the USC freshman to be drafted in the second round of the 2025 draft.
LeBron James downplayed the significance of mock drafts while reposting a story on X about the latest results regarding his son.
"Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball," James wrote in a post that has since been deleted. "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!"
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Bronny James, while playing 20.2 minutes per game over his first 19 appearances, is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three. The 19-year-old had a late start to his freshman season after suffering a cardiac arrest in July. He was cleared by doctors for a full return to basketball four months later and made his debut on Dec. 10.
But his draft stock has continued to drop, with Bleacher Report also leaving Bronny James out of its recent two-round 2024 mock draft.
LeBron James, who at 39-years-old has a $51-million player option for the 2024-2025 season, has expressed interest in playing alongside his son in the NBA.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
His wait might be a little longer if the recent mock drafts prove to be accurate.
But LeBron James made his view on mock drafts very clear, also offering advice to prospects that do not share his bloodline.
"And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding," he wrote in a subsequent post that has also been deleted. "These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!"
