Bronny James has had a tough time since the Lakers picked him 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Missed shots and quiet nights regularly become fodder for jokes online.

A recurring theme in the trolling is comparison with his father, LeBron James. Now a former NBA player has stepped in to defend him.

Gilbert Arenas Tried to Defend Bronny James

Gilbert Arenas did it on a recent episode of the “We Said What We Said Show.” He talked about how everyone seems to pile on Bronny whenever he has a bad game. Arenas argued that higher picks from the 2024 draft have also struggled to stick in the NBA. Dillingham is one current example.

“Look at that draft. We have a French guy, probably the worst number one pick ever. Right? And then you look at the top 10. There’s guys in the first round that’s not even in the league anymore….”

“But they go at the guy… Literally goes in a G League. He shows he can play basketball. He’s just not put in a position in the NBA yet. He’s coming in the last two minutes. He comes in. Everybody’s like shoot,” Arenas said during the show.

Arenas recalled that he did not make his first NBA field goal until January. He debuted in early November but was placed on the injured list after just two appearances and did not return until January.

“We started off October 1st. I mean October 31st. I didn’t get my first bucket until January,” Arenas added.

The best example from the 2024 class is Rob Dillingham. He went 8th overall, was first picked by San Antonio, and was then traded to Minnesota. He didn’t get much production there. After more trades, first to Chicago and then to Charlotte, the Hornets waived him in late September 2026. He is now an unrestricted free agent and isn’t on an NBA roster.

The Lakers assigned James to the Coachella Valley Lakers on Nov. 5 to get him more playing time before recalling him two days later.

Bronny is currently averaging just 0.8 points, 0.0 rebounds, and 0.0 assists per game. Those numbers look bad on paper, but that’s because he plays only about 2.4 minutes per game. That’s barely enough time to check in, touch the ball once, and sit back down.

It’s fair to say Bronny hasn’t shown much of what people expected from him. Fans wanted to see more, but it’s also hard to judge any player on a couple of minutes a night.