When Bronny James entered the NBA, the discourse was unlike anything the basketball world had ever seen. Drafted as a late second-round pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, he became the subject of intense scrutiny, as some questioned the legitimacy of the selection.
Recently, James’ minutes have increased since the Los Angeles Lakers are missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves due to injuries. This was an opportunity for James to play significant minutes in the 2026 NBA Playoffs and silence his critics. Pro Football Hall of Famer turned podcaster Shannon Sharpe believes he is more than living up to the hype.
Shannon Sharpe Argues Bronny James Is Outplaying No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher
A consensus four-star recruit heading into college, James suffered a cardiac arrest before his freshman season could get underway and it severely limited him. As a result, his production at USC was diminished.
But as a defensive ace, with some playmaking chops and a sweet shooting stroke, the upside was always clear with the Sierra Canyon product. Still, he has been the subject of a lot of unwarranted attention and nepotism claims since his father is LeBron James.
Now, Bronny is playing a key role during the Lakers’ first-round series against the Houston Rockets, and he’s looking good. Shape is one of the greatest NFL tight ends of all-time, a major media personality, and a big Lakers fan. During a recent episode of “The Nightcap Show,” Sharpe compared James’ production to that of Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, who was the No. 1 overall pick in Bronny’s NBA Draft.
“The Hawks drafted the most forgettable No. 1 overall pick in NBA history,” Sharpe said. “Everybody been killing Bronny. Bronny playing better than that No. 1 pick for the Hawks!”
This postseason, Bronny has totaled 10 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 threes, while shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. Risacher has contributed just 3 points and 6 rebounds, while shooting 20% from the field and 50% from 3-point range.
“He got 4 minutes and had 3 points,” Sharpe said of Risacher. “He was 1-for-2 from the 3-point line. Bronny had 5 points last night. He outscored the No. 1 pick in his draft, and he outscored the entire Rockets bench [in Game 3]!”
Risacher has regressed during his sophomore season. Even as Atlanta took a major step forward, the former No. 1 overall pick hasn’t played a huge role in the turnaround. Instead, his minutes have continued to steadily decline, going from 19.3 in March to 15.2 in April to 3.0 in the postseason.
The Hawks have given the New York Knicks all they can handle en route to a 2-2 tie, but Risacher has been virtually unplayable. Meanwhile, Bronny has been a positive off of Los Angeles’ bench over the last two games.
Sharpe brings up a good point. Bronny faces more criticism than arguably any other late second-round pick in NBA history, and sometimes he even takes more heat than the No. 1 overall pick in his own draft class.
give me a break he would have no minutes if his name wasn’t jLBJ Jr… and what waste another 3 years trying to develop him !