LeBron James sounds off on Bronny NBA mock draft chatter in since-deleted tweet

NBA Twitter has been abuzz following the latest mock draft update from ESPN's Jonathan Givony. He placed USC's Bronny James No. 39 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, which led to a collective "wait, what?" from those expecting LeBron James' eldest son to commit to the NBA in 2024.

There has been a ton of speculation about LeBron leaving the Lakers to team up with Bronny, or the Lakers drafting Bronny to appease LeBron. It was, for a time, almost a foregone conclusion that Bronny would enter the 2024 NBA Draft and pursue his professional dreams, with or without his father on the court beside him.

That said, the younger James has struggled as a freshman at USC, averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on .371/.275/.621 splits for the worst Pac-12 team. Those aren't one-and-done numbers, and conventional wisdom — setting apart the LeBron James connection — would suggest that James is destined for a return to school.

It's worth noting that Bronny was never actually listed on ESPN's 2024 mock draft, despite what has been suggested by some Twitter aggregators. Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest in the offseason, which cost him four months of practice and development work. He was removed after the medical incident, which plainly impacted his readiness for this season. It would be more than understandable if Bronny waited an extra year before declaring. In fact, it would probably be quite beneficial.

The USC guard's dad took to Twitter to bash the rampant speculation tied to Bronny's mock draft status, urging us to let Bronny enjoy school. James has since deleted the Tweet.

"Can y'all 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!"

LeBron James urges fans to let Bronny 'enjoy college basketball' amid NBA Draft speculation

Why James deleted the Tweet is unclear, but one could argue that it's a pretty lame move from James Sr. It has been a tough season for Bronny for completely understandable reasons, and no reasonable person would blame the 19-year-old for returning to school. Especially if James is simply heading toward a multi-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, which would leak all the air out of the persistent "will he or won't he" speculation about a potential team-up.

So, why even acknowledge the mock drafts? You're LeBron James. Bronny, per his father's own tweet, will base his draft decision off his own feelings, not mock drafts — as he should. You can't say let the work speak for itself and then try to mount a response on Twitter. That's backward.

Ultimately, this is a big nothing-burger, especially since James deleted it. But, we know James has taken to social media to hype up Bronny in the past. He has also openly talked about playing with Bronny one day. A lot of the noise around Bronny's looming decision can be tied directly to his father. We probably wouldn't even think the 2024 draft was a possibility for Bronny if not for his dad's regular references to one day playing with his son.

Bronny is the No. 59 prospect here at FanSided, for what it's worth. He's still a brilliant guard defender and smart connector who profiles as a plus shooter down the road. The lack of aggression and efficiency has been a mild disappointment, sure, but James Jr. just needs time. We can let him enjoy college basketball, sure, but every other remotely top prospect gets tossed into mock drafts, too. He is not unique on that front.

Obviously, Bronny receives heightened notoriety because of his father, which can at times feel overdone, but LeBron deserves some of the "blame" — if that's what we want to call it — for shamelessly inserting Bronny into these conversations over the years.