We all get to start somewhere. For most of us, that’s the backyard hoop nailed to a brick wall at our parents’ place. But for true NBA hopefuls, the journey kicks off in the NCAA. That’s where you really start making a name for yourself. With Cooper Flagg now the hottest name coming out of college ball, the world’s watching to see how the newest kid on the block stacks up against the game’s greats. But if you go by Bronny James’ experience, the jump might be easier than people think.

See, the pressure is a huge contrast. Of course, a shot in the majors is do or die for most of today’s kids. And that pressure gets to them a lot. But if they just minus all the yapping from the outside, it might make life in the NBA a lot easier. You know why? The difference in the size of the paints and the external responsibilities of a student. And to voice their concerns when the King jumps in to say, “I’m gonna be honest, it’s hard to watch college games a lot because of the…” you know what to expect.

“The spacing, it feels like everyone is in the paint. And some programs do a great job of now trying to open it up, and I watched Florida this past year… Also, one thing that- it’s funny what Bronny told me, he was like, “the best thing about the NBA compared to college is that I can literally just focus straight on basketball. Like in college, I had to go to class.” You know, you had to meet, you had to do work and stuff like that,” said LeBron James on Mind the Game.

It might be too obvious – but the only concern as an NBA player…is to be counted among the best NBA players, at least for the team you play. As a collegiate? There’s academics, exams, dissertations, friends, and partners – the whole nine yards. The tunnel vision kicks in when you reach the majors. And that alone might be enough cause for them to rise to the occasion.

Then comes the court. There’s a massive 4 feet difference in paint sizes between the NCAA (12ft) and the NBA (16ft). This is when the OKC Thunder‘s “pack the paint” strategy might come in handy. But not so for the younger batch coming in over the next few years. But beyond all of these, there’s still one aspect of the NCAA that needs addressing, which is the NIL program.

All it does is scream “money” in the faces of the agents. Everyone dreams of playing in the NBA, but the prospect of massive bucks in the NCAA if undrafted keeps people at bay sometimes. Luckily, Bronny James didn’t go through such a thing.

“It’s just a bit lawless”: LeBron James on the NIL program

“It’s an interesting time, too, with NIL.” That’s what the Lakers’ number 23 feels. The NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) program initially started as an interim fix. But it’s become a multi-billion-dollar industry reshaping college sports’ economics and competitive balance. That’s not what LeBron James‘ problem is, though.

James on the pod highlighted that the issue is in figuring it out. “Because if you’re not a guaranteed first-round pick and you’re making really good money now to stay in college, like that’s a big consideration. One, financially, and you can develop in a safe space, the NBA… It’s a little bit lawless right now. You(‘ve) got to figure it out.” The issue? We’ve seen 44 different NIL statutes in 44 different states, each with its own carve-outs and deadlines, and the NCAA itself no longer imposes meaningful guardrails beyond saying “don’t pay a kid directly for his on-court performance.”

The enforcement, too, is essentially non-existent. Players are courted like pros, swapping schools for bigger NIL paydays. So, how’s there still zero salary cap, zero formal oversight, and huge gaps between haves (blue-blood programs) and have-nots? That chaos—where every school is forced to chase the biggest deal or risk losing talent—is exactly what he means by “lawless.”

This sort of difference has to be bridged as soon as possible. We can’t have such obvious problems in the setup that make it less incentivized to chase your dreams for a quick buck. Luckily, the burden of responsibility lessens in the NBA, which could be reason enough. Just ask Bronny James.