This is Bronny James’ chance to prove that he belongs

This is a golden opportunity for Bronny James. 

He can prove himself. He can silence his detractors. He can show the world he belongs. 

Or he can stumble backward, making the negative noise louder. 

With Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) sidelined, James should get some minutes in the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Rockets. 

Postseason minutes are powerful. They can rewrite narratives. They can put careers on different trajectories. 

So far, his narrative has largely been out of his hands. 

James has been dragged through the mud ever since the Lakers selected him with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Nepotism. Unready. A joke.

Those words have hovered over the 21-year-old like a shadow, distorting the reality that he has outperformed a lot of other players picked before him in the draft. 

But that narrative is less sexy. 

James has been subjected to the same level of criticism as a No. 1 overall pick by virtue of being LeBron James’ son. 

Of course, there are two sides to that coin. 

Because he’s the offspring of one of the world’s most powerful people, he also had a gold-paved path into the league. 

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But what’s lost in all of this is James doesn’t need to be doing this. He doesn’t need to be a punching bag for pundits. He’s subjecting himself to derision because he’s following his dream. 

Behind the scenes, he works hard. He’s well-liked by his teammates and coaches. He’s humble. He has shown there’s a place for him on NBA rosters. But that hasn’t changed any minds. 

Now’s his chance to make people see him. 

“I mean, it’s what I’ve wanted,” James said at Lakers practice Thursday. “My dream is to play in the playoffs. I wasn’t able to play in March, so this is a bigger stage than that. And I’m completely and totally excited to get out there with my teammates and try to get some wins and try to make it down further in the playoffs.”

James started playing meaningful minutes after Doncic and Reaves suffered their injuries against the Thunder on April. 2. 

In April, James actually had better stats than the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Zaccharie Risacher.

James averaged 7.2 points on 47% shooting from the field and 43% shooting from beyond the arc. Risacher averaged 4.8 points on 42% shooting from the field and 10% shooting from deep. It’s a small sample size, but it’s an eye-popping one. 

But again, that hasn’t moved the needle. 

If James can play well during the postseason, the world will be forced to notice him. They’ll be forced to open their minds. This is his chance. 

James has been through harder things than trying to change his detractors’ minds. As an 18-year-old freshman at USC, he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout in July 2023. 

At the time, it was unclear if he was going to survive. Nearly three years later, he’s about to play playoff basketball for one of the most heralded franchises in sports. 

For the elder James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time, this is a dream come true. 

“Every moment we get an opportunity to play together is something that I never take for granted,” LeBron said Thursday. “I mean, listen, me being on the floor with him, postseason, regular season, training camp, practices, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career above everything that I’ve accomplished. 

“So the fact that he’s put himself in a position to get his number called for postseason [games] is pretty remarkable and pretty cool given the circumstances that he’s been given the last couple years. He earned it, he deserves it and he’ll be ready.”

Regardless of what the 41-year-old says, it’s going to be up to his son to make a statement for himself with his play. 

James can make 3-pointers. He can be a menace on defense. He has so much potential. 

And now he has the stage. 

It’s time for him to do something with it.