THE NBA The offseason is coming to an end, which means the 2024-25 season is upon us. With that comes the annual release of the popular video game NBA2K25.
On September 6, 2024, NBA2K25 will be available for purchase by the general public on various gaming platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC Steam.
2K Games’ digital marketing director Ronnie Singh (better known as “Ronnie 2K”) usually works tirelessly to promote the game before its scheduled launch date. One of the tricks he’s learned in his 16 years of experience is to give fans a sneak peek at player ratings before the game’s release.
Basketball fans and 2K fans alike eagerly wait to see how their favorite basketball teams or players will fare. Conversely, they also enjoy debating whether the game has done some of its ratings right or wrong in its rating system.
Recently, Ronnie 2K shared the highest-rated rookies in NBA 2K25. Unsurprisingly, the top four picks in this year’s draft (Zaccharie Risacher, Alexander Sarr, Reed Sheppard, and Stephon Castle) rank in the same order. Meanwhile, one particularly polarizing first-year pro was at a disadvantage: The Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James.
— Ronnie 2K 2K25 (@Ronnie2K) August 16, 2024
As you can see, 2K ranks James at 68th overall, which is the lowest score of the 58 rookies selected this summer. Given that the Lakers controversially selected him with the 55th pick, this is perhaps unsurprising, though it doesn’t help his cause.
Skeptics believe that James, son of basketball icon and Lakers superstar LeBron Jameswas only selected for nepotism reasons. The 19-year-old didn’t show much in his lone college season at USC, which made people feel that way. However, it’s also worth mentioning that the latter’s eldest son suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2023, likely as a result of a congenital heart defect.
James has done little to allay concerns from skeptics about his status in the league at the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League. He has averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and one assist in four games. Still, his progress in the last two games has been notable.
But so far, James apparently has his work cut out for him as he tries to shake off the label that his father is the reason he’s in the NBA.
