In a chat with the media following the Lakers’ latest summer league game, Bronny James opened up about the experience. When asked about what he’s looking forward to the most from playing with his dad, James thought for a minute before making his answer.
“Going against each other in practice,” said Bronny.
Bronny just had his best game of the Summer League with 12 points on 45.5% shooting in 23 minutes. The Lakers were able to make a comeback in the second half to secure the win against the Atlanta Hawks. After the buzzer, James Jr. explained what kept him going despite the early struggles.
“Just being slid on the defensive end, we try to come out and get a good shot every time down so we focused on that and we got a good outcome,” said Bronny. “I’m just trying to forget about all the shots I missed. Forget about all the games we lost… just come out and play my game and try to do my best every time I come out on the floor. That’s what I did tonight and it ended up going well.”
Reporter: “What are you looking forward to the most about playing with LeBron?”
Bronny James: “Going against each other in practice.” pic.twitter.com/6aaEuxrSOU
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 18, 2024
Bronny, 19, was the 55th overall pick this summer and while expectations are normally kept low for players in the late second round, it seems Bronny is the exception. After signing a 4-year contract with the Lakers, James Jr. is here to stay and he’s arguably the most popular rookie in the draft class right now.
While James failed to impress at USC with just 4.8 points per game, he showed enough flashes of his potential to attract severe NBA teams. In the end, however, James only had eyes for the Lakers and he made sure that his agent, Rich Paul, did everything in his power to help him land there.
“Just trying to forget about all the shots I missed… forget about all the games we lost… just come out and play my game.”
– Bronny 🔥
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) July 18, 2024
Now that his dream has finally been realized, Bronny can enjoy the full experience. For now, he still has a while to go before the actual season begins but there is no doubt that Bronny will see some time on the floor with his dad next season.
Even if not, the two will likely be going at each other all the time in practice and that’s something that Bronny has personal experience in. Over the years, the father and son have been doing battle on the court in the driveway, and wherever there’s a hoop.
Now, they get to compete together in the NBA to fulfill a fantasy years in the making. The only question now is, what will they be able to accomplish together?
Out of the gate, Bronny will likely see some time in the G-League but if he continues to work and develop his game he should be able to carve out a place in the rotation sometime in the near future.
Regardless, James couldn’t have a better support system in place and now that he’s broken the seal with a great shooting night, it seems like a breakthrough is right around the corner.