Following his professional debut last week, Bronny James is getting plenty of critical takes for a lackluster performance. Takes that are now seeing James compared to Tim Tebow, who spent the 2012 season with the New York Jets.
During his one season with the Jets, Tebow was a backup quarterback and a personal punt protector who also operated out of the wildcat formation. A Heisman winner, Tebow played three years in the NFL.
He appeared in 35 games (16 starts) and went 8-6 as a starting quarterback. He threw for 2,422 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions (he completed 47.9 percent of his passes).
Tebow also ran for 989 yards and 12 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career.
James made his NBA Summer League debut last week, scoring four points on 2-of-9 shooting. He played 21 minutes.
The breathless talk around James, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers who is the son of LeBron James), led to this comparison by Awful Announcing:
“This was seen for many years with Tim Tebow in particular, through his NFL career and (especially) his minor-league baseball career. But it’s come up with many others as well since then, and the latest example there is with the way ESPN covered Bronny James’ Summer League debut Saturday afternoon.”
Is Bronny James ESPN’s new Tim Tebow, where the celebrity coverage dramatically exceeds the on-field impact? https://t.co/uQyesGr4YK
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 7, 2024
Tebow’s time with the Jets was disappointing, something that the now-retired quarterback has been able to joke about.
But, Tebow still won games when he was allowed on the field – he did lead the Denver Broncos to the playoffs in 2011. Interesting comparison to say the least and one that will cause Jets fans a certain level of agitation, remembering the failure of that 2012 season.
Bronny James, however, doesn’t have the college resume or production that Tebow did at Florida. Tebow at least was a calculated gamble by the Denver Broncos and the Jets that his college career pointed towards NFL success.
