For at least the past calendar year, everyone across the basketball world has been talking about Bronny James, seemingly ad nauseam. Many have been skeptical that he has what it takes to become a legitimate NBA player or even belongs in pro basketball, but since he's the son of LeBron James, a few have been quick to proclaim him a guaranteed future superstar.
ESPN has been one outlet that has talked plenty about the younger James, such as when Stephen A. Smith pleaded with the elder James to "stop this" involving his alleged involvement in the 20-year-old's NBA career. That comment from Smith seemed to spark a feud between him and the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer.
But one ESPN show that hasn't talked much about the younger James is "Pardon the Interruption." Co-host Michael Wilbon explained why and even criticized his network a bit for its coverage of the rookie guard (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via OutKick:
“And, look, I am a father, too,” Wilbon said. “Let me let you in on some inside baseball, Bobby [Burack]. And you probably know this. But ‘PTI’ did not talk about Bronny. We never did. All the Bronny talk that our network did was pandering. It was for clicks and eyeballs. I refused to participate.
“You can go back and look, ‘PTI’ didn’t cover him, except for maybe the real news, like the day after he was drafted. Those other shows, it was every day. Bronny. Bronny. Bronny. What the hell is this? It was a disaster waiting to happen.
“I have a 17-year-old son, so this matters to me. I am particularly sensitive to it. I’d do anything for my kid, and I would hug LeBron for what he did for his kid.
“I am a father first. That’s how I see this story—not as a columnist or a talking head–but as a father first. So, I get what LeBron did. And LeBron has also been great to my kid.
“But as far as coverage, no. There were shows that talked about Bronny every day. You know what shows I’m talking about. I don’t care if my bosses get mad. They would try to get Tony [Kornheiser] and me to talk about it. No, we were not going to do it.”
The younger James has shown plenty of progress in the G League over the last several weeks. He finished the regular season there with averages of 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. On Monday, he exploded for 39 points on 14-of-21 shooting in his penultimate game of the season.
He even scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks on March 20.
But he still has a long way to go before he proves he is legitimate NBA material, and this summer, not to mention next season, will be of the utmost importance for him.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Michael Wilbon criticizes ESPN's coverage of Bronny James
