LeBron Reveals Text to Bronny, Bryce Before 2024 Draft Using Derrick White to Inspire
In the lead up to the 2024 NBA draft, LeBron James sent a text message to remind his sons that college recruiting rankings and pre-draft scouting reports don't define the type of player you are going to be.
On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast (starts at 14:55 mark), LeBron revealed the text he sent to Bronny and Bryce that featured notes about Derrick White's journey from high school to the NBA.
LeBron said the message to Bronny and Bryce was: "Everybody's road to success is different, so stay locked in and be patient."
White is one of the great developmental success stories in recent NBA history. As James pointed out, he was an unranked recruit coming out of high school with no Division I offers and played three seasons at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs before transferring to Colorado for his senior year.
The San Antonio Spurs selected White with the 29th pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He became one of the best defensive guards in the league and evolved into an excellent shooter who has made 38.7 percent of his threes on 6.8 attempts per game over the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Bronny and Bryce were more highly-regarded college recruits than White. Bronny, in particular, was a 5-star recruit and No. 22 overall player in the 2023 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
Things changed for Bronny when he entered the NBA draft. His scouting report was similar to White's in that he was considered a defense-first guard who needs to improve his shot.
Bronny, the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft, didn't have much of an impact for the Los Angeles Lakers as a rookie. He averaged 2.3 points per game in 27 appearances. White, by comparison, only averaged 3.2 points per game in 17 appearances for the Spurs during his rookie year.
Bryce is preparing for his freshman season in college this fall when he will play for Arizona. His draft profile could change significantly depending on how things go with the Wildcats.
Both of them figure to have plenty of opportunities to write their own narratives going forward, so whatever scouting reports might say about them now isn't necessarily going to be the final word on their careers.
