NBA Champion Makes Huge Bronny James Prediction Despite Continued Struggle From One Mistake

2022 was a wild time. Stephen Curry was accomplishing injury-defying things and LeBron James was about to be the dad of a college kid. James’ eldest son, Bronny James was making his college decision that year so certain NBA players jumped in the fray. Jalen Rose tried to recruit him to Michigan and Matt Barnes pitched his alma mater, UCLA. Bronny ended up going to USC, but his unexpected medical episode severely restricted his time on the court. Bronny went to the NBA with more fanfare than development. And while most feel he’ll be one of those NBA scions who don’t make it, Barnes has a different kind of vision.

Matt Barnes has been Team Bronny since day 1. Why else would he have wanted him for the Bruins when he was projected as a top 10 draft pick for 2024? Sure, a cardiac episode and no playing time changed his draft stock for real, but he’s shown steady improvement between the G-League and the main Lakers roster.

Barnes admitted the obvious – Being “Lebron’s son is a huge gift and a curse” while on BigBoy TV this week. “I think Bronny is going to be a very solid player in this league. Will he be a superstar like his dad? Probably not.”

He however, analyzes Bronny objectively and can see what his NBA resume will look like. “I wouldn’t doubt that he has a chance to be an All-Star or a Sixth Man of the Year.” Wow. Not saying 21 All-Star appearances (and counting) like his dad. King James was selected every year since 2005. Bronny just wrapped his Summer League debut and could start the 2025-26 season with an All-Star campaign.

But Barnes’ pitch for a 6MOTY is interesting. LeBron James’ personal accolades include Rookie of the Year and four league and finals MVPs each, as well as the NBA Cup MVP, but not that. Bronny might not necessarily have an MVP career, but he’s shown definitive results coming off the bench. Most analysts have acknowledged that. Barnes might be the first to claim Bronny could win the award for it.

His reasoning is, “He’s a very smart, talented player who plays basketball the right way.” But for Barnes’ vision to come true, he knows Bronny’s got to do a lot of work. Work that he left incomplete in college.

Matt Barnes wanted Bronny to have the college experience

In 2022, Matt Barnes was one of the people hoping for LeBron James’ son picked their alma mater. He made an interesting pitch too. “Why not go to a Rams game or a Chargers game where they can still chant your name, be 15 minutes from home, still have Sunday dinner with your family and go back and kick it on your off days? You get to see your little brother play at Sierra Canyon; you get to see your dad play at Staples Center. And it’s just L.A. Our coach didn’t play on the highest level and all that stuff he was talking about. But we’ve got a lot of championships, we’ve got a lot of beautiful women, we’ve got a lot of sand and palm trees. … If you like the social media paparazzi thing, you might as well just stay here.”

Barnes made a great case for a California school. So Bronny picked UCLA’s next door rivals, USC. That went sideways due to Bronny’s cardiac arrest. Less than six months later, he made his collegiate debut in 2023. James played in USC’s final 25 games and most thought he’d return for a full season. However, he made a surprising choice to declare for the NBA draft.

Barnes still thinks it wasn’t the right decision. “He’s someone that I felt could have used another year or two in college, you know, ’cause he had the heart issues and he only played a handful of games at SC.” Barnes wasn’t the only one who thought that. The lack of college minutes lowered Bronny’s draft stock. And again, a fair degree of prejudice as the King’s son followed him.

Most believe sending Bronny to the G-League is gimmicky and he could’ve gotten that development in college instead. Even Barnes said, “I thought if he would have went back the following year, he would have got his feet under him and really understood how to be a man on a college team and then been more prepared for the league.”

Bronny started about six games at USC. He had only one career start in the NBA which didn’t go so well (four points against the Blazers). This past March, he came off the bench for a game and recorded 17 points on a 7-of-10 shooting with 5 assists, 3 rebounds in 20 minutes. It was the first double-digits of his NBA career.

He shuffled between the G-League and the Lakers for weeks and was having 30+ point games there. Most realized that he got the upskilling he missed in college in the G-League. 

And again, Barnes will continue to cheer for Bronny stating, “But I think he’s made such huge jumps from the time he’s been out of SC to where he is now. So, I’m happy for him.”

He’s happy for Bronny and envious of LeBron. It makes him hope to see his twin sons make it to the NBA soon.