Former NBA star says Lakers rookie Bronny James is ‘an influencer playing basketball’ | Sporting News Canada

As Bronny James prepares for his rookie season as a pro, his performance has been scrutinized by the masses. That said, one former NBA superstar suggests that people may be looking at things through the wrong lens.

During a recent episode of his “Gil’s Arena” podcast, three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas took a unique stance on how James’ performances are judged.

Here’s more on what Arenas had to say about James.

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What did Gilbert Arenas say about Bronny James?

“Everybody’s judging the basketball game but nobody’s judging him as an influencer,” Arenas said of James. “You know, sometimes you’ve gotta look at it a little different. He’s an influencer playing basketball.”

The son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, Bronny James was selected with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Due to his familial ties, James’ popularity exceeds that of the typical second-round pick, a fact Arenas used to base his “influencer” take on.

“He has more followers on social media than Patrick Mahomes — he literally has more [followers] than a three-time NFL champion,” Arenas said of James. “His influence is really, really huge. He’s going to get chanted everywhere, this is not about his performance on basketball.”

James does indeed have more followers than Mahomes — the Lakers rookie has 8.1 million followers on Instagram compared to 6.8 million for the Chiefs star. 

MORE: Will Bronny James make the Lakers roster? | Complete game logs for Bronny James during the 2024 NBA preseason

Through his first four preseason games, James is averaging 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound per game while shooting a paltry 12.5 percent from the field, numbers indicative of a player struggling to find their way.

Arenas went on to support his notion by acknowledging James’ status as the No. 55 pick should not come with expectations to set the league on fire right away.

The former Wizards great added that the same types of scrutiny and judgment aren’t given to players taken in the same range of the draft. He also claimed that other prospects the Lakers could have selected instead of James are largely unknown and not as harshly criticized.

One of the criticisms came from former Laker DeMarcus Cousins, who said that selecting James suggests that the franchise is not serious about winning. Arenas appeared to offer a direct response to Cousins’ assertion.

“To say the Lakers (are) not serious because they picked him at 55? Let me know who was a better choice at 55 that was going to help the franchise because I’m pretty sure that they were going to be cut just like most of the second round has been cut so far.”

Here’s a look at how James’ numbers compare to those of his peers:

Memphis’ Spencer and New York’s McCullar have not yet played in the preseason due to injury, but James’ preseason numbers are similar to each of the last six picks in the NBA Draft aside from Hukporti, who has been a revelation for Knicks fans.

When looking at things through the lens Arenas suggested, James’ influence does set him apart and his performance is on par with his selection in this year’s draft.