Bronny James, who was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft, has disclosed why he decided to wear No. 9 for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 19-year-old eldest son of LeBron, 39, who is now a new teammate, described how the final single digit honours Juice WRLD, a close friend and former rapper who passed away in December 2019 at the age of 21 after an аccidentаl overdose.
“Juice has been a big part of me,” he stated, maintaining his composure under various trying circumstances. That’s all, simply honouring him, particularly now that he’s gone. It holds great significance for me.
Juice and Bronny both have tattoos of the number “999,” however Juice’s has it on his body, and the guard’s is behind his ear. An angel number of 999 denotes the end of one cycle and the start of a new one.
This number typically indicates that a chapter in a person’s life is about to end and that new opportunities and possibilities are approaching.
Only eleven months after suffering a cardiac arrest and playing 25 games for USC, Bronny makes his NBA debut. He talked about how, in only six months, he went from playing collegiate basketball competitively to being predicted to miss the cut at the NBA Draft Combine.
The 6-foot-2 guard, who was seated next to another new addition to the squad, Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ 17th overall draft choice this year, told reporters, “Everything’s just been surreal.”
Merely attempting to absorb everything day by day. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to [Lakers general manager] Rоb Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick for everything they have done for me. I’ve been giddy with anticipation for work.
‘Definitely [playing with him] amplifies the amount of pressure,’ Bronny responded when asked about the criticism and attention that come with playing with his four-time NBA champion father.
I’ve already seen it spoken about how I might not deserve a chance on social media, the internet, and other places. However, I’ve had to deal with this things my entire life. Nothing about it is different. Undoubtedly, the pressure has increased, but I can handle it.
Bronny continued by stating that he is ready to construct his own narrative in order to demonstrate that he is more than simply the oldest son of one of the greatest athletes of all time.
“I try not to worry about what other people think of me because there are a lot of people who have something to sаy. I’m just living my life,” he stated.
“I’m just going to take each day as it comes and keep my sanity intact.”
After Bronny expressed gratitude to the Lakers front office for “everything they have given to me,” his new head coach took issue with the statement.
Bronny received nothing from Rоb and me. LeBron observed with interest as Redick remarked, “Bronny has earned this through hard work.”
Additionally, he said that Bronny was a player with enormous growth potential.
Redick praised the player’s “basic level of feel, athleticism, point of аttаck, defence, shooting, and passing.”
He’ll have a fantastic chance to develop into a top NBA player as we expand our player development programme from all angles.
When the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco on Saturday to begin California Classic Summer League play, fans may get to see Bronny in action for the first time.