Bronny Defended by Cayden Boozer: Lakers Rookie 'Getting a Lot of Hate for No Reason'

Few people can relate to Bronny James as the son of a notable NBA player and highly regarded basketball prospect himself better than Cayden Boozer, and he jumped to the Los Angeles Lakers guard's success.

"He's getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he's LeBron's son," Boozer said, per Brendan Marks, CJ Moore and Kyle Tucker of The Athletic. "LeBron has a lot of haters. He's still a rookie. He was the 55th pick. I don't know why they're expecting, like, that he's supposed to be the next generational player. He has to become his own player. You have to let that happen."

Los Angeles selected James, who is the son of the legendary LeBron James, with the No. 55 overall pick of the 2024 NBA draft.

While the younger James was a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, he averaged just 4.8 points per game during his one season at USC. He did not make his debut until after that one season started, as he suffered cardiac arrest in the summer before taking the court for the Trojans.

That didn't stop the Lakers from selecting him with a second-round pick, and his first Summer League was something of a mixed bag of results.

He started 0-for-15 from three-point range in his first four games but showed improvement by making three of his next eight triples and scoring 25 combined points in his last two games.

Boozer, who is the son of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer, jumped to James' defense right as he is also about to become a notable name in the basketball world. Boozer is a 5-star prospect in the class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and could eventually join James in the NBA.

Marks, Moore and Tucker noted the point guard is expected to attend Duke, Miami or Florida, and joining the Blue Devils would mean following in his father's footsteps.

Just like the younger James is following his father's footsteps on the Lakers.