National Basketball Association

Lakers' LeBron James: Bronny 'could play for us right now'

Updated Jan. 7, 2024 5:51 p.m. ET

Bronny James has played in just seven games this season for the USC Trojans.

Still, that's enough of a sample size for his father, LeBron James, to deem him worthy of suiting up for his Los Angeles Lakers.

"He could play for us right now," James said following his team's 127-113 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday. "Easy. EASY."

The comments came during a postgame press conference in which James blasted the Lakers' recent performance, claiming "we just suck right now" after the squad fell to 3-10 following its In-Season Tournament championship.

James was adamant that the title must be viewed in its proper context.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

"That was just two games," he said, referencing L.A.'s success in Las Vegas. "That's just a small sample. Everybody's getting so cranked up about Vegas, keep bringing up Vegas, it was two games. We took care of that business, that was the In-Season Tournament. We played it, we won it, but that was literally just two games."

Los Angeles hasn't won much since then. But in James' eyes, his son could slide right onto the roster as it tries to gain back some momentum.

Bronny is averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman is viewed by many scouts as a capable 3-and-D prospect, and he's shown cerebral defensive instincts with 1.3 steals a game. He's shooting 44.4% from the floor, but just 27.3% from deep.

As for dad, he'll have to wait some time before he can fully play recruiter for his son's services.

On what he could do to net more notches in the win column for now, LeBron said: "I show up to work, punch my clock everyday, stay positive, and go out and try to lead on the floor, inspire on the floor. That's what I do."

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience