Kenny Smith Defends Los Angeles Lakers' Decision to Draft Bronny James And Predicts Where LeBron Will End His Career

Bronny James #6 of the West team talks to Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

"Inside the NBA" analyst Kenny Smith has an interesting take on the Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to LeBron James and his son, Bronny.

The Lakers made headlines during the 2024 NBA Draft when they selected LeBron's son, Bronny, with the 55th overall pick. Many criticized the decision, pointing towards Bronny's lack of success during his lone season in college with the USC Trojans — he averaged just 4.8 points in 19.3 minutes per game as the eighth-leading scorer on the team — with some arguing that the selection was based on nepotism. Many also had an issue how Bronny was selected over other players who had accomplished more during their collegiate careers.

It didn't exactly help matters that Bronny struggled during Summer League play, averaging just 8.8 points per game — despite playing the second-most minutes per game of any Lakers player at 25.1 minutes per game — on 35.0% shooting from the field and 15.8% from beyond the arc.

However, Smith is taking a different viewpoint on the matter, arguing that Bronny "deserved" to be picked in the draft by the Lakers.

"I think as the 55th pick he deserved that," says Smith in a one-on-one interview with RG while speaking on behalf of his partnership with Ensure. "That means that when you're in that second round, we're waiting on you, we're waiting for you to develop. That's what that really means. And he's one of those players who is a McDonald's All-American, he was one of the top guards in his class as a freshman, that's what they're waiting on. The same kid who played with him at USC, Isaiah Collier, was drafted in the first round. He didn't have a great year either in terms of USC basketball. We're waiting on him, we're waiting on Bronny."

While many focus on Bronny's struggles at USC and during Summer League play, one has to take into consideration that he didn't have a normal season with the Trojans due to suffering a cardiac arrest before the start of the season caused by a congenital heart defect. That led to James not participating in normal offseason and camp workouts with his team. He didn't make his debut until December 10 last year — a month after the season started.

Smith says that Bronny's "misfortune" actually turned into a positive for him, because he now gets to play with his dad. They will make history as the first father-son duo to play together on the same team.

#callouts#1

While it's clear Smith is in favor of the Lakers selecting Bronny, he makes another bold prediction — he believes that LeBron will end his career in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old James re-signed with the Lakers on a two-year, $104 million deal with a player option and no-trade clause.

"I think he ends his career as a Laker — that's just my personal opinion," says Smith with no hesitation. "I haven't spoken to him, or anyone with that influence."

With James having the opportunity to achieve his goal of playing with his son, Bronny, he'll also be able to opt out of his contract next offseason. That leaves the possibility of James joining a contender to win another ring before the end of his career.

One of those teams that has been mentioned as a potential destination is none other than the Golden State Warriors. Golden State actually expressed interest in trading for James last season, only for the Lakers and James' agent Rich Paul, to shut it down, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Warriors are only two years removed from their last title, but they struggled drastically last season. They missed the playoffs despite another sensational All-NBA season by Stephen Curry and longtime sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks after 13 seasons.

James and Curry's dominance during the Olympics in leading Team USA to a gold medal increased fans' desire to see the two finally team up together after competing against each other as rivals over the past 15 years. While Smith could see James and Curry both playing into their 40s, he doesn't believe it would be so easy for them to win a ring together with the defending champs, the Boston Celtics, in their way.

Smith even references how Jayson Tatum — who saw minimal playing time in the Olympics and was a healthy scratch in two games — will be motivated moving forward.

"They're going to have to go through Boston," says Smith bluntly. "For a guy [Jayson Tatum] who they didn't want to play [in the Olympics], he's going to be like, "This isn't the Olympics. We're back in America." That guy, Jaylen Brown, he and the rest of the Celtics with Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, that is a very difficult team to beat. They've proven over the past five years by being a winning duo [Tatum and Brown], that they have the best team. They're going to have a lot to say about that. They were sitting on that bench watching other guys who they've beaten get to play, and if you don't play, it might even fuel something more in Jayson Tatum."