Former NBA star says Lakers rookie Bronny James is 'an influencer who plays basketball'

As Bronny James prepares for his rookie season as a professional, his performance is being scrutinized by the masses. However, a former NBA superstar suspects that people may be looking at things from the wrong perspective.

On a recent episode of his Gil's Arena podcast, three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas took a unique stance on how James' performances are judged.

Find out more about what Arenas has to say about James here.

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What did Gilbert Arenas say about Bronny James?

“Everybody judges the game of basketball, but nobody judges him as an influencer,” Arenas said of James. “You know, sometimes you have to look at it a little differently. He’s an influencer who plays basketball.”

Bronny James, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, was selected with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Because of his family ties, James' popularity exceeds that of the typical second-round pick, a fact that Arenas used as the basis for his “influencer” hire.

“He has more followers on social media than Patrick Mahomes — he literally has more (followers) than a three-time NFL champion,” Arenas said of James. “His influence is really, really big. He will be cheered everywhere, this is not about his performance in basketball.”

James actually has more followers than Mahomes – the Lakers rookie has 8.1 million followers on Instagram, compared to 6.8 million for the Chiefs star.

MORE: Will Bronny James join the Lakers roster? | Complete game logs for Bronny James during the 2024 NBA preseason

In his first four preseason games, James averaged 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds per game while shooting just 12.5 percent from the field, numbers that suggest a player struggling to find his feet.

Arenas further bolstered his view by acknowledging that James' status as the No. 55 pick shouldn't come with the expectation of immediately upsetting the league.

The former Wizards star added that players who are in the same area of ​​the draft are not given the same type of scrutiny and evaluation. He also claimed that other candidates the Lakers could have chosen instead of James were largely unknown and not as harshly criticized.

One of the criticisms came from former Laker DeMarcus Cousins, who said the selection of James suggested the franchise wasn't serious about winning. Arenas appeared to give a direct response to Cousins' claim.

“To say the Lakers aren’t serious because they picked him at 55? Let me know who was the better pick at 55 that would help the franchise because I'm pretty sure they would be released like most of the second round picks have been cut so far.”

Here's a look at how James' numbers compare to his peers:

Memphis' Spencer and New York's McCullar have not yet played in the preseason due to injury, but James' preseason numbers are similar to the last six picks in the NBA Draft, aside from Hukporti, who has been a revelation to Knicks fans.

Looking at things through the lens suggested by Arenas, James stands out for his impact and his performance is commensurate with his selection in this year's draft.