Bronny James lists two Celtics guards as players he wants to emulate originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Bronny James, son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, has entered his name into the 2024 NBA Draft after completing just one year at the University of Southern California. While his numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, James finds other ways to impact wins — apparently using Boston Celtics guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White as his role models.
Bronny told reporters at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine on Tuesday that he would like to model his game after Holiday, White and Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell at the NBA level.
“Just guys that excel at their roles and, you know, make good money and good playing time out of it,” James told the media of Holiday, White and Mitchell, via Yahoo Sports. “They’re locked into that role and they know what they’re supposed to do.”
After averaging just 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting from the field and 26.7 percent from deep, with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game at USC, few believe the guard will 6-foot-2 will be the second coming of his father. Instead, James hopes to become a successful player in the NBA, following the example of defensively focused point guards like White and Holiday.
“I just want to, you know, let people know that my name is Bronny James and not just be identified as LeBron James’ son,” James added.
White also didn’t stand out in college, starting his NCAA career at the Division II level. Eventually transferred to Division I Colorado after three seasons, White proved to NBA scouts that he was worthy of being selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th pick in the 2018 draft. After years of learning and perfecting his role, White emerged as a true star in Boston as he competes for his first championship this postseason.
Holiday, on the other hand, immediately started at the Division I level for UCLA as a freshman. Similar to James, Holiday’s numbers didn’t jump off the stat sheet, averaging just 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, but it was enough for the Philadelphia 76ers to draft him with the pick No. 17 in the 2009 draft. Despite his low numbers in college, Holiday has since earned two All-Star nods, five All-Defensive team nods and became an NBA champion in 2021.
Before James’ first college season, the 2023 All-American collapsed on the court during an on-campus workout while suffering from cardiac arrest. After spending time in the ICU, James surprisingly rehabilitated back into playing shape and played for USC last season.
James has retained his collegiate eligibility, meaning if his name isn’t mentioned in the upcoming draft, he could still return to play in the NCAA.
