Austin Rivers reveals desire to see Bronny without LeBron in the league

This past Monday, the 5th, during the “NBA Today” program, on the North American “ESPN”, the former player Austin Rivers talked about how he doesn’t like the idea of ​​seeing Bronny James and your father, LeBron James, performing together on the same day. The former athlete’s comment went viral, even more so due to the fact that the football star Los Angeles Lakers having said countless times that he wants to play on the same team as his son before retiring.

Rivers used his own example to explain his position. Son of the coach Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Riversfailed to make it in the league after a good university career, being the tenth pick of the Draft 2011. The former player was even coached by his father, when he wore the team’s shirt. Los Angeles Clippers. Currently working as an analyst, he revealed that the pressure can be too much for the young man.

Austin Rivers wouldn’t want Bronny James to play with Lebron. And he has a reason.

“I hope this kid can not only play in the NBA, but that he can play in a place where he finds his own identity.” pic.twitter.com/XPN5QoX48H

— NBA das Mina (@NBAdasMina) February 5, 2024

“I’ll be honest, I hope Bronny James doesn’t play alongside LeBron in the NBA. I went through something similar in my career. Similar, but even a little different in the details, I would say. I was already in the league when I went to play for my father’s team. The problem is that a lot of people start to belittle everything you do when this happens. This kid has been in the spotlight since he was born. Seriously, he joined Instagram and, on his first day there, he already gained a million followers. And I think that because of that, he has handled the situation very well.”he commented.

“He did very well in high school in Sierra Canyon. After that, he managed to get into a good college like USC. But right now, his numbers don’t make him look like a pro. So, if he goes to the Draft, I would like to see him selected by a contending team, with less space and more time to develop. Bronny has talent, he has basketball IQ and he has potential. But from my experience, it wouldn’t be good to go play with your father. Not at this point in both of their careers. This is above what I went through, honestly. In fact, the type of negative energy this can lead to is why I don’t want him to play with LeBron. The boy doesn’t deserve this.”explained Rivers.

Rivers even said that he commented on all of this to advise Bronny. Because, even with his great track record before becoming a professional, he felt the pressure of the supposed privileges of working with his father. “Man, he’s not a top-10 draft pick, he’s not even a lottery pick. And I was all of that in my turn. Still, when I played for the Clippers, they said I was only in the league because of Doc. It didn’t matter if I had been number one player in the US two or three years ago. So, that’s the kind of pressure and criticism that Bronny is going to face.”he stated.

“But it’s still a much worse situation for him. Doc Rivers is known, he’s great, we all know about my father’s capabilities. But LeBron James is the most popular basketball player since Michael Jordan. Even the kid’s name is Bronny could be a problem. After all, everything will always go back to your father. I hope, ultimately, that this kid can play in a place that allows him to find his own identity. Where he can, above all, make a name for himself. So it’s a pretty crazy situation. He plays at USC and his father plays for the Lakers. There is a lot of media around all this. And as I said before, I’m a fan of how he’s handled all of this. But I hope he plays elsewhere. I hope everyone understands that I’m saying all this thinking, above all, about the boy.”concluded Rivers.