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Shannon Sharped compared NBA legend LeBron James to LaVar Ball on Tuesday after he complained on social media about his USC star son, Bronny James, being left out of ESPN’s latest mock for this summer’s NBA Draft. 

Bronny is the eldest child of LeBron James, and the Trojan guard’s skills have been touted by his father for years. 

In a now-deleted post on X, James called his son ‘definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching’ in the NBA in March 2023. That hype sounds similar to how Ball touted son Lonzo ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft. 

Ball said his eldest son was better than Steph Curry and became an overnight sensation for his bombastic personality. LeBron does not need any help garnering more media attention for himself and his family.  

Before Bronny suffered from cardiac arrest last year, some projections had the USC freshman as a lottery pick in this summer’s draft. Now, he’s off ESPN’s 2024 mock draft completely and may have to wait a year for a chance at the NBA. 

LeBron has been publicly supporting his son, Bronny, for years as a possible future NBA star

Sharpe believes LeBron’s comments are reminiscent of what transpired with the Ball family

‘The mere fact that he’s even playing college basketball should be commended, should be applauded,’ Sharpe said. ‘The man had a very serious heart complication, and now he’s playing, he’s averaging five [points].’ 

‘So let him come back, lets see what he does when he gets a full training camp up under his belt… he’s on a minutes restriction and they’re able to turn him lose. Let’s see what it can be,’ Sharpe added. 

James, in between games for the Lakers, retorted to his son’s dupe on social media. 

‘Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball,’ James said on X. ‘The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!’

‘And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding,’ LeBron continued. ‘These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS!! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!’

James replied to his son’s removal stating kids should not pay attention to the predictions

Shannon Sharpe points out that just last year, LeBron James tweeted that his son is better than some current NBA players.”It’s the same thing that we did with Lavar Ball when Lavar Ball said his son Lonzo was better than Steph Curry… When you do that, people are always… pic.twitter.com/IFiW5UpLjI

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 27, 2024

Sharpe has been a staunch defender of James for years. Not taking the soon-to-be Hall of Famer’s side is a change in tone for the longtime talk-show host. 

Lonzo Ball and Bronny James were both highly touted prep prospects in the Los Angeles area and both chose to go to college nearby as well. 

Ball has since faded from the public view with his sons all moving on to professional basketball. James previously expressed a desire to play in the NBA with Bronny. 

Bronny is averaging 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 ᴀssists per game this season.