There have been plenty of critics of the way the Lakers organization is handling Bronny James.
Now you can add one more.
Charles Barkley called it “awful” when discussing the way the organization has handled the development of the oldest son of star LeBron James.
The Lakers have opted to have Bronny play home games for the team’s NBA G-League affiliate, South Bay, and then call him back up to the NBA when the development team goes on the road.
Charles Barkley looks on after Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals on June 14, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.NBAE via Getty Images
The kid is not ready to play in the NBA. He should be in the G-League so he can play basketball,” Barkley said during an appearance on “The Bettor Angle” over the weekend.
“And also, this thing where he’s only gonna play homes games. It’s stupid, it’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to the team. Can you imagine the coach of that team? You come off a road trip and you have a player you haven’t seen in a week or two. And then you probably feel like you gotta play him,” he continued. “I don’t think they are doing Bronny any favors. They have just handled this thing very bad. It’s a bad look for the Lakers. I really like everything LeBron has done. But it’s a bad look for him [too], in my opinion.”
Bronny James looks on during a game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2024 NBA Preseason on October 15, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.NBAE via Getty Images
Bronny James (9) looks on during the second half against the Orlando Magic in the second half at Crypto.com Arena.Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Bronny has appeared in six games for the Lakers this season, averaging 0.7 points per game in 2.3 minutes per game.
Down with South Bay, Bronny has averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 assists in 28.5 minutes in two appearances for the G League club.
The Lakers have faced plenty of questions about the potential nepotism involved in the decision to draft Bronny after just one season at USC and concerns over his readiness to go pro.
Those questions have only grown since the Lakers’ plan for Bronny became public.
