“Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” wrote the NBA legend in a now-deleted X post

LeBron James is defending his eldest son’s work ethic!

On Monday, the NBA legend, 39, turned to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his frustrations regarding speculation about his son Bronny’s career in professional basketball, reports USA Today, the New York Post and TMZ.

The 19-year-old, currently a freshman at USC, was removed from ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft. Now, the college player has been projected to be picked in 2025.

“Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,” the Lakers star wrote in the now deleted X post, reports USA Today. “The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!”

“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,” continued the four-time NBA champion. “These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”

Bronny James on October 19, 2023 at Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA.

ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony explained to Malika Andrews on NBA Today that he “loves Bronny James’ game still.”

“We have to remember that this kid missed four months with a heart issue, starting in July that really seemed to derail his season,” Givony said of Bronny’s July 2023 cardiac arrest during a workout at USC.

“He’s one of the best defenders in the freshman class,” said Givony. “If Bronny James comes back for his sophomore season, we’re going to see a completely different guy. We’re going to see someone that really could be a lottery pick still.”

LeBron James Celebrates Son Bronny’s Birthday.
Following Bronny’s health scare, he was later diagnosed with “an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect.” He underwent surgery to correct the issue and missed the first eight games of the current college basketball season.

Since then, Bronny has averaged 5.5 points on 37.1% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 19 games this season. He’s also averaging 20.2 minutes per game, reports USA Today.

At the time of Bronny’s December debut, LeBron told reporters that his son’s first NCAA game “was everything for [the James] family.”

“It was just an emotional, draining day, from the time we all woke up to the time that the buzzer hit zeros,” said LeBron. “I think the most important thing, who cares about the win or loss, the kid was standing tall and standing strong at the end of the game, and that is a blessing in its own right, and that is a win.”

In addition to Bronny, LeBron shares Bryce Maximus, 16, and Zhuri Nova, 9, with his wife, Savannah James.