Bronny James Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

While it was one of the NBA’s biggest stories at the start of the season, the buzz surrounding Bronny James has since died down.

But the rumblings regarding the Los Angeles Lakers’ second-round pick has seemingly picked back up, thanks to comments made by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Appearing on The Hoop Collective, Windhorst discussed James’ current stint with the G League’s South Bay Lakers. And in doing so, he revealed that LeBron James’ son won’t be playing in any of the team’s road games due to “special treatment.”

“From my understanding, he’s only going to play in the South Bay Lakers’ home games. He’s only going to kind of be a part-time G League player and he’s not getting on United Airlines to fly  and play in these road games,” Windhorst said. “I know he’s getting somewhat special treatment and nepotism. That’s fine; honestly, I don’t care. Like I said, it’s normal.

“Now I think it’s actually detrimental to him. I don’t like that. I don’t know whose idea it was. Obviously, the Lakers are fine with it—they’re doing it. On this particular instance, I think that’s gone too far. And I don’t think it benefits Bronny. I don’t think it benefits the South Bay Lakers, and I don’t think it benefits LeBron at this point.”

As Windhorst noted, while it’s one thing for a player to receive special treatment, it’s another for him to do so at the cost of his own development. And unsurprisingly, his comments led to many on social media weighing in on the matter.

[The Hoop Collective]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.