Former NBA center Kwame Brown has publicly criticized the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to keep Bronny James on the roster over 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht, arguing that James only holds his spot because of his father, LeBron James.
“It’s mind-blowing how somebody lost a job to that,” Brown said.
Brown’s comments appear to reference the Lakers’ choice to retain James over Knecht. The two were excused from a team practice on October 19, a decision that came the day before the roster move drew attention.
“Some kid that worked their butt off that really feels like they could have made the NBA, lost their job to that,” Brown said. “The only reason why everybody’s okay with it is because of his father.”
Brown did not soften the criticism when asked how it might be perceived.
“Call it hate, call it whatever you want. To me, it’s a shame,” Brown said.
This is James’ first NBA season without LeBron James on the same roster. His playing time has been limited: he has appeared in four games this season, averaging 2.8 minutes per contest, and has scored a single point. For his career, he is averaging 2.6 points in roughly 7.8 minutes per game.
James was part of the Lakers bench unit that nearly surrendered a 14-point lead with 1:43 remaining in Monday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed the late-game collapse afterward, telling Khobi Price of The California Post, “I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll leave the guys in. You gotta play to the final buzzer, and if guys are not ready to play, then I just won’t put them in.”
