LeBron James has ‘real basketball’ advice for budding college hoopers after Bronny James tweet 

ESPN's most updated mock draft didn't put Bronny James in there at all, thereby assuming that he will probably go unpicked in the 2024 NBA Draft and sending both critics and fans into a frenzy. But perhaps no other folks got riled up even more than critics, and maybe as expected, LeBron himself.

Folks were quick to point out that Bronny James' struggles during his freshman year at USC were the reason why he's out of the mock draft. But LeBron James is also as quick as anyone to chime in, saying that the mock draft "doesn't matter one bit:"

The four-time MVP and four-time NBA champ also gave advice to young players who were still waiting for their time in the hoops spotlight:

"And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding. I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let's talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!"

As of this writing, the aforementioned ESPN Mock Draft puts Bronny James as a prospect for the 2025 selection, putting a lot more players ahead of him who arguably have had better college basketball seasons.

The usual suspects for the lottery picks are there, with European standouts such as the young Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher going No. 1 (he will likely be the second-consecutive French player selected at the top after Victor Wembanyama). He is then followed by another Frenchman, Alexandre Sarr, then Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, Lithuanian-American standout Matas Buzelis of G-League Ignite, and Colorado's Cody Williams.

As one could see, the top five projected picks say a lot about how the modern NBA is experiencing a major influx of international talent in a way it's never seen before.

Bronny James in the 2025 NBA Draft?

Whatever happens, though, experts are all in agreement that Bronny James is indeed not a top prospect, at least not yet. The USC freshman's sub-par season in SoCal is well documented. That's why he's is projected to be, at most, a pick for next year.

When will he get picked? Well, the 2025 Mock Draft also doesn't shine a favorable light, with Bronny James reportedly sliding down to the 39th overall selection. The mock draft by ESPN's Jonathan Givony puts Duke's Cooper Flagg at No. 1, followed by Rutgers' Airious Bailey, South Sudanese standout Khaman Maluach, Miami's Jalil Bethea, and Hugo Gonzalez of Real Madrid to round up the top five.

The 39th pick for the 2025 draft will go to the Portland Trailblazers (from the Atlanta Hawks), which could mean that, if LeBron really wants to go through with playing alongside Bronny, he will have to move to Oregon.