Source: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty / Bronny James
Bronny James’ NBA career has officially begun, but it didn’t start with a Mike Breen BANG.
Easily the most prolific 55th pick in NBA history, all eyes were on LeBron James’ firstborn son, Bronny James Jr., as he made his NBA Summer League debut.
Spoiler alert: Bronny’s debut was nothing close to his dad’s 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, but hey, this could be the first step into what could be a successful NBA career.
Dane Johnson, the coach of L.A.’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, started 19-year-old Bronny alongside Colin Castleton, 24, Sean East II, 24, Dalton Knecht, 23, and Maxwell Lewis, 21.
When it was all said and done, Bronny scored 4 points on 2-for-9 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 22 minutes.
Bronny’s first buck came midway through the second quarter, tying the score at 31-31.
FIRST NBA BUCKET pic.twitter.com/jiHly3ACrQ
— Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) July 6, 2024
Following the Lakers’ 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings, Bronny was asked what surprised him the most about his Summer League debut. He told reporters, “The atmosphere,” ESPN reports.
He continued, “It was more than I expected. I mean, it’s a big game for me, but I didn’t know if people from Golden State would come and rep for me. So that was pretty nice to see.”
Coach Johnson added on his performance, “He’s just got to keep learning, keep getting reps and learning how much he’s capable of,” Johnson said. “Like, his body, he can get downhill if he uses his shoulder if he has a little bit of an advantage on somebody. And just building that confidence into him.”
What Did LeBron James Think About His Son’s Performance?
Of course, the world wanted to know what Poppa James thought about his son’s Summer League debut. LBJ is in Las Vegas along with Redeem Team 2.0, preparing to take on the world in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
James, who is well versed in the ups and downs of what it takes to be a star in the NBA, dismissed Bronny’s first-game jitters.
“What he does in the California Classic and summer league, it doesn’t matter if he plays well, and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well,” LeBron said. “I just want him to continue to grow [from] practices, film sessions, his individual workouts. You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and summer league and bring it to once the season starts. So, the only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days.”
If anyone knows, it’s LeBron.
Of course, social media had plenty to say, and you know haters are circling Bronny like sharks to a wounded seal.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
window.addEventListener(‘interaction’, function () {
setTimeout(function () {
var s = document.createElement(‘script’), el = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[ 0 ];
s.async = true;
s.src = ‘https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js’;
el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);
}, 1000)
});