Bronny James’ professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers got off to a rough start in the California Classic as he struggled scoring the basketball, but he turned it up in NBA Las Vegas Summer League and ended the month on a high note.
Bronny, the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, was widely considered an offensive project given the state of his jump shot but his defensive awareness and secondary playmaking stood out on the floor. The most encouraging sign, though, was that he continued to play within his role and even showed more aggressiveness hunting his shot once he started to see a few go down. His performances encouraged fellow NBA players like Chet Holmgren to declare him a pro.
Being the son of LeBron James can’t be easy as people will expect greatness right away, but by all accounts Bronny has handled himself well despite being in the middle of a proverbial fishbowl. The USC product showed off his athleticism and basketball IQ, but more importantly was a great teammate.
Bronny was mic’d up during Summer League and showed different sides of his personality and leadership s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, via the team’s official X account:
In the action — mic’d up with Bronny 🎤 pic.twitter.com/TGG12kw42c
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 25, 2024
The video opens up with Bronny cheering on Mohamed Diarra after the latter made a nice play on the floor, and then pans to him encouraging a teammate and helping them off the floor. The personable side of Bronny comes out in the next clip as he’s seen dapping up Juwan Howard who noted he’s gotten bigger to which he responds by saying he’s been in the gym.
The next scenes are a window into Bronny’s basketball IQ as he is heard explaining how the Lakers could adjust an offensive play. He is then seen calling out instructions on the defensive end and emphasizing the need to rebound. The video ends with him cheering on teammates and greeting opposing players at the end of a game.
When watching the video, it’s hard not to compare him to LeBron because of the similarities in their voice and tone. It was a fun look at what Bronny’s like on the floor and his attitude and basketball acumen should serve him well this upcoming season
