The last time Bronny James was on the floor for the Lakers in the NBA, he made a two-minute cameo against the Raptors on November 10th. He left the floor without contributing anything to the game. Well, except for one foul. After that, it was no secret that Lakers Nation didn’t want any part of Bronny James on the team. They were waiting for him to join the G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, and earlier this month that happened.

Then, on November 24th, Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane revealed, “The Lakers say they have assigned guard Bronny James to the South Bay Lakers (for a two-game Lakers road trip).” But here’s the thing: Some fans are now getting antsy about Bronny’s absence… from the South Bay lineup. James Jr. has reportedly suffered an injury that has kept him out of G League games and will continue to do so. This was confirmed when the Lakers announced their injury list before their game against the Spurs on November 27th: Bronny was sidelined with a bruised left heel. But it turns out there’s a new twist to this story.

Trevor Lane announced today (Friday) “Lakers say they have recalled guard Bronny James from the South Bay Lakers.” Bronny hasn’t been immune to criticism since the day he was drafted 55th overall, and the backlash peaked when he struggled to perform. Remember how LeBron James tweeted in March: “Bronny is definitely better than some of these cats I watched at League Pass today.”? Now, what do you think about Bronny playing just over 16 minutes for the Lakers (11-7)?

In the 6 games he played in, James Jr. only scored 4 points, averaging 2.7 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.3 assists and 0.2 rebounds per game. As you can imagine, these are not good statistics for a newbie. Not even close. But is it all because of LeBron? Former NBA star Greg Anthony agrees. And this also applies to Stephen A. Smith, who previously explained how LeBron’s tweet fueled the hype surrounding his son; A hype that the 20-year-old rookie couldn’t live up to.

In fact, last week, when the 20-time NBA All-Star announced his abrupt departure from social media, Smith believed it had mostly to do with the Bronny situation and all the hate that was directed at LeBron as a result. “With all due respect, this is all LeBron’s fault. It was LeBron James who told the world, “I want to play with him in the NBA.” Because he’s LeBron James, he greased the wheels and made it happen… LeBron dictated the process rather than letting it unfold on its own.”

Concluding his assessment of the entire situation, Smith said: “As As a result, the criticism leveled at Bronny was overblown. It was unfair. But who instigated it? It was LeBron… It’s the only time in LeBron’s basketball life that he should have been gentler!” But he didn’t, and now Bronny is bearing the brunt of the pressure. And it’s even shown in his G-League appearances.

Since being assigned to South Bay, the 20-year-old has played in two games and averaged 5 points, 3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 21% shooting. What’s worse for the youngster is that the G-League recently released its rankings after the first two weeks of play and Bronny is ranked 333rd out of 336. According to reports, he was only allowed to take part in home games. After this came to light, NBA legend Charles Barkley said in an appearance on The Bettor Angle, “The kid isn’t ready to play in the NBA. He should be in the G League so he can play basketball.

“This thing where he’ll only play home games. It’s stupid, it’s not fair to him. That’s not fair to the team… I don’t think they’re doing Bronny any favors. They just handled this thing very badly.” But contrary to Stephen A. Smith’s analysis, Barkley actually praised LeBron’s involvement in his son’s career, although not without a hint of criticism. “I really like everything LeBron has done. But in my opinion, things are looking bad (for him too).”

Given these stats and his time playing in the NBA, Trevor Lane’s update left fans unable to wrap their heads around the franchise’s alleged planning. And just like that, we have another series of fan outrage surrounding Bronny James. And once again, LeBron was drawn into the narrative.

Fan outrage is mounting following the recent announcement about Bronny James

In response to Lane’s tweet, one fan wrote: “Call Olivari, this is getting ridiculous.” Quincy’s name came up even as concerns grew about point guard Gabe Vincent’s declining form. In the past, too, a large part of the fan base expressed their wish to see the 23-year-old in the Lakers’ squad rather than Bronny. Quincy has proven his worth in preseason games and shown that he deserves a spot on the team. Well, his two-way contract allows him to be part of the NBA team at any time.

In the four games he played for the South Bay Lakers this season, Olivari averaged 23 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Since the Lakers decided to recall Bronny instead of Quincy, these stats weren’t good for many. Another fan commented: “Why? Bronny should play every G League game. EVERY GAME,” further questions the franchise’s decision: “Will you call him if Dad wants?”

The idea of ​​LeBron making the decision on whether Bronny returns to the Lakers is widespread among fans. “Man, F Bronny James. LBJ is ruining the future of our Lakers…why not address QO41?” Another wrote and continued to advocate for Olivari’s conscription. In fact, one LA fan called the NBA team directly “Dad’s little daycare center” suggesting that LeBron is in charge and can get the franchise to call Bronny back whenever he pleases.

Some believe that Bronny would not be able to develop the skills he was sent to the G League for if he constantly switches between the LA Lakers and the South Bay team. “Bronny needs to move to a new team to keep it serious; “This back and forth is not good for anyone’s development.” declared one fan and others agreed with this opinion.

In this context, a fan wrote: “Dad made sure he got a bag, but he really didn’t do him any favors. The child should have stayed in college to try to develop himself.” Another highlighted, “Makes no sense. He doesn’t play in the South Bay and he doesn’t play for the Lakers. He doesn’t get any minutes to develop? $8 million for what?”

Unfortunately, the former Trojan hasn’t been able to hone his skills with either the NBA team or the G League because he hasn’t been given enough time on the hardwood. This has led them to question his 4-year contract with the franchise, which is worth nearly $8 million, an amount that many talented players in the league do not receive.

“Why??? Sitting on the bench”, commented one fan. In the six games he played for the Lakers, he had a maximum of five minutes, averaging less than three minutes per game, to showcase his potential. Of course he didn’t do this and only went home with the necessary criticism.

While another fan jokingly wrote: “Let him start 3-4 minutes on Christmas Day and let him play 3 minutes on LeBron’s birthday 👨‍🔧👨‍🔧👨‍🔧Otherwise the bench or the G-League.” Many believe that Bronny made his debut on the Lakers’ opening night because LeBron’s historic dream was to play with his son. That’s why the fan humorously suggested that the team let Bronny play for a few minutes on Christmas and LeBron’s birthday (December 30) to make the 39-year-old feel special.

The criticism of LeBron and Bronny James seems to be a never-ending saga. But could Bronny silence his doubters with a strong performance in his next outing, or will the criticism continue? Let us know what you think!