LeBron James' claims about son Bronny James being NBA ready resurfaces online after exclusion from ESPN's 2024 mock draft

ESPN's decision to move Bronny James from their 2024 NBA mock draft to their 2025 NBA mock draft caught the attention of LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar took to Twitter on Monday to criticize the noise surrounding the USC Trojans guard, stating in a since-deleted tweet:

"Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball. 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!"

Twitter account @brickmuse shared a screenshot of James' tweet from just under a year ago in which he declared Bronny NBA ready, stating:

"Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I've been watching on league pass today. S**t lightweight hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣"

Check out the screenshot of LeBron James' tweets below:

LeBron followed up his tweet on Monday by advising the next generation of basketball players to focus on the work and not mock drafts. While Bronny has had an up-and-down true freshman season, it is encouraging that he was able to return to the court less than five months after suffering cardiac arrest.

It remains unclear if he will enter the 2024 NBA Draft or remain in college for another season. The Trojans guard is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game while shooting 37.1% from the field, 27.5% from three-point range and 62.1% from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, USC have struggled tremendously and are just 11-16 on the season and 5-11 in Pac-12 play. Despite entering the season ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll, they will likely miss the NCAA Tournament.

LeBron James previously discussed Bronny James' NBA future

While LeBron James has expressed an interest in teaming up with Bronny James, he recently revealed that his son will make the decision about his immediate NBA future. Speaking to the Inside the NBA crew during NBA All-Star Weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers star stated:

"It's up to him. It's up to the kid. Obviously, we're going to go through the whole process. He's still in season now, has the Pac-12 Tournament coming up - heartbreaker last night in overtime, heartbreaker last night in overtime - we're going to weigh our options and we're going to let the kid make the decision. It's definitely not financial."

Check out LeBron James' comments on Bronny James' future below:

While Bronny James will likely hear his name called if he does enter the 2024 NBA Draft, his decision will likely be based purely on his development. His plans for next season remain unclear as of now.