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You can add Charles Barkley to the very large group of folks who are not a fan of how the Los Angeles Lakers are handling Bronny James so far this season.

Bronny being drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft to team up with his father, LeBron, was inevitable and a move that the vast majority of dads out there would make if they were in LeBron’s situation. 

We’re long past the point of being frustrated with the Lakers for spending an actual draft pick on Bronny, who did nothing during his one season at USC to earn to be selected in the draft. Signed to a roster? Sure. Being drafted in the second round? Absolutely not.

Bronny and LeBron sharing the floor and becoming the first father-son duo to appear in an NBA game together was a cool moment, which Barkley agrees with, but since then the preferential treatment has reached new heights.

“They’ve handled it awful,” Barkley said on ‘The Bettor Angle’ podcast. “I thought it was great, a little ceremony his first game. But the kid is not ready to play in the NBA. He should be in the G League, so he can play basketball. He’s not going to get better sitting on the bench.”

Charles Barkley doesn’t think the Lakers are doing Bronny James any favors. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bronny needs minutes to develop, and as Barkley suggested, the G League is where he needs to spend his time. James is getting minutes in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, but only during home games, and is meeting up with the NBA Lakers to ride the bench and potentially pick up a couple of minutes in blowout situations.

Barkley, like anyone else who is paying attention, doesn’t quite get it.

“This thing where he’s only going to play home games. It’s stupid, it’s not fair to him. It’s not fair to the team,” Barkley said.

“Can you imagine the coach of that team? You come off a road trip and there is a player you haven’t seen in a week or two. And then you feel like you probably got to play him. I don’t think they are doing Bronny any favors.”

Barkley believes the situation has not only put the Lakers into a bad light, but LeBron as well.

“It’s a bad look for the Lakers. I really like everything LeBron has done, but this a bad look for him, in my opinion,” Barkley added.

Bronny has seen action in five of the Lakers’ 16 games so far this season and hasn’t played more than five minutes in any of the contests. 

The Lakers found a serious stride earlier this month while putting together a six-game winning streak, but have dropped their last two games giving them a 10-6 record for the season.