The NBA combine came and went these past couple of days. A bunch of the top prospects opted out of most of the drills and scrimmages, but some kids were still there trying to up their draft stock. One such prospect is Bronny James. You may know who his father is, LeBron James.

Bronny has been living in his father's shadow since he showed a proclivity for basketball. I remember hearing about Bronny being a decent prospect coming out of high school in regards to playing division 1 college basketball. He moved high schools, played at a prestigious basketball high school and got some D-1 offers. I was hoping Michigan would go after him. He eventually ended up at USC, close to home, and they brought in a monster class. Bronny then had a scary cardiac arrest situation and that sidelined him for a while. He missed the start of the season. He was eventually cleared to play mid-season and he did.

He was fine. He did not set the world on fire. He played in Isaiah Collier's shadow. Collier is one of the top prospects in this upcoming draft. But, Bronny never really set the college basketball world on fire. He plays the game correctly, but that doesn't add up to eye popping stats or highlight plays. USC also played well below their preseason status. They were below .500. They didn't make the NCAA or NIT tournament. And they were easily bounced from the Pac 12 tournament in round 2. The Bronny NBA stock was relatively low.

Then he entered the draft and the transfer portal. He was maintaining his college eligibility, but he was also going to see what his NBA stock looked like. He had a damn good combine. His vertical is big. He had good form and shooting touch. He made a bunch of threes. And he participated in the scrimmages. He looked a little timid in the first scrimmage, but in the second one, he balled out. He looked to score. He was quick to make a move to get to the basket. He played solid defense. He made the correct pass. He showed he has a chance to be drafted. And

I'm here for it. There are people out there that are degrading him. They are saying he is not an NBA prospect. They don't want him to succeed. They are mad at him for no reason, other than the fact that he is LeBron James' kid. The hate he is getting online is brutal. I feel pretty bad for him. These keyboard warriors are calling him all kinds of things, and I am certain they wouldn't score a point against him in a game of 1 on 1. It is easy to shit talk behind a screen name. But these people hold no control over Bronny's NBA future. But because of these keyboard nitwits, I am becoming a big time Bronny fan. I want this kid to make it and have staying power. He is already an above average defender. He showed in the scrimmages that he can hit floaters. He can also spot up for the corner three. He makes the correct decision in a half court offense. He runs the break really well. This kid has the skills to make it in the NBA for a good long while. And he should make it based on his own skill and merit. There is clearly something there. He has the goods. Some team may take a shot on drafting him. Or if he doesn't get drafted, he will most certainly be on a G League team. This isn't the Ball family we are talking about here. Bronny is so much more skilled than LiAngelo Ball. He seems to be much healthier than LaMelo or Lonzo. He has been medically cleared by the NBA.

I'm on Bronny's side. I am rooting hard for him. When/if he gets into the league, I'll be excited to see him play either with or against his dad. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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