Bronny James has no choice but to face the music of the people after the Los Angeles Lakers chose him with the 55th pick of the 2024 Draft. The young man is already attracting plenty of ire from fans and analysts for making the league despite not having much to show for his college career.
The eldest child of the James household knew the moment he declared for the draft that many would be vocal that he used his father’s influence to get into the league. many would point to this supposed nepotism for the kind of contract Bronny got from the Purple and Gold.
For those unaware, Bronny signed an incredible four-year deal worth $7.9 million. The number seems a bit excessive for a player who was selected near the end of the draft, and fans naturally started calling the Purple and Gold out for giving him such a huge amount of money.
However, one analyst went forward in James Jr.’s defense, saying that this hasn’t been the first time a player at this level was given this kind of contract.
Sam Vecenie: Bronny James isn’t the first NBA player to get a contract similar to what the Los Angeles Lakers offered
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie posted a social media post that listed out other players who got similar deals as Bronny, as reported by The Spun’s Andrew Gould:
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie cited three players picked around the same range last year who received a similar deal. Toumani Camara (No. 52), Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57), and Chris Livingston (No. 58) each signed a four-year, $7.6 million contract with over $3 million guaranteed.
“Bronny’s contract is not out of line with other picks in the 50s for teams looking to save money,” Vecenie wrote.
The numbers may indeed look huge on paper, but it’s nice to know that Bronny isn’t guaranteed to get all of it. He still has to prove to the entire Los Angeles Lakers organization as well as the league that he does deserve his spot on the roster and must be paid the entire amount in full.
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