Charles Barkley: Bronny James will have ‘target on his back’ and have to deal with ‘petty jealousness’

NBA legend Charles Barkley believes that Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James will have to deal with some unique challenges in the NBA due to his last name.

James was selected by his father LeBron’s team in the 2024 NBA Draft with the No. 55 overall pick.

“I’m glad he’s just healthy, and we’re all rootin’ for him ’cause we have so much respect for LeBron,” said Barkley. “It’s not gonna easy because he has a target on his back because of his last name. There’s gonna be a certain amount of petty jealousness of people who are like, ‘You don’t deserve to be in the NBA. You’re not as good as some of these other players. You only got in because of your dad.'”

The younger James has had a shaky transition to the NBA since being drafted. He had an uneven Summer League stint, and the rocky waters have continued for him during L.A.’s preseason slate.

But he’s just 20 years old and only spent one season at the collegiate level, so there may be some growing pains as he gets his footing professionally. Many of those growing pains are likely to happen in the G League, as he’s expected to spend a lot of time at that level during his rookie campaign.

The Lakers will have several years to try to turn the younger James into a serviceable piece, as he’s under contract with the team for the next four seasons (with the last season being a club option).

The jealousy that Barkley mentioned might have already been on display this offseason when an anonymous member of L.A.’s Summer League team reportedly expressed displeasure with all the attention that the younger James got, saying it caused chemistry issues. It remains to be seen if that sentiment will become more common around the league going forward.

It’s worth noting that the claim in question was disputed by another member of L.A.’s Summer League team.

Regardless of what the future holds for the younger James, he and his father are about to make history when they share the floor together in the 2024-25 regular season. They could take the court as teammates as soon as opening night when the Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The elder James, for his part, will turn 40 years old during the upcoming season but is still showing very few signs of age with his play on the court.