"Kid doesn't stink" - 9 year NBA veteran praised Bronny James for shutting up haters with 17 points

The LA Lakers suffered a 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. But there was a silver lining amid the disappointment — Bronny James’ breakout performance. The 20-year-old guard shocked the basketball community with the best performance of his career, leading to nine-year NBA veteran Chandler Parsons showering him with praise.

Parsons, a co-host of FanDuel’s "Run It Back," lauded James' historic 17-point outing against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co., calling it a statement performance on Friday:

“All these people are like ‘oh, he doesn't belong in the NBA,’" Parsons said. "No, not anybody can just go into an NBA game and have 17 points. So this kid doesn't stink. He can play and he proved that last night.

So I think a lot of guys that have doubt and that hate, I get it, it's totally natural just given the circumstances. But I think last night kind of opened up some eyes, even for JJ Redick and that coach's staff that look, this kid can give us something.”

James didn’t just lead the Lakers in scoring — he also contributed three rebounds, five assists and a block. He was efficient, shooting 70% (50% from beyond the arc).

Milwaukee’s defense has been excellent all season long — ranked in the league’s top 10 with a 112.4 defensive rating.

Bronny James uses criticism as fuel

Bronny James instantly became one of the most criticized players in the league after being selected late in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. Naysayers accused general manager Rob Pelinka of drafting Bronny to please LeBron James.

Initial forgettable performances didn’t help Bronny either. Until the end of January, he had appeared in 13 games as a two-way player, contributing lowly numbers across the board. The backlash on social media was relentless.

On Thursday, James explained his mindset, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon:

“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day," James said. "But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying.

I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, get better every day."

In nine games with the G League's South Bay Lakers, James averaged 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

His playing time with the LA Lakers has jumped to 11.2 minutes per game in March, a significant increase from the mere 4.0 minutes he averaged from October through February.