Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James dribbles during the first half of an NBA Summer League basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — When the lay-up hit in the second quarter and he finally scored his first NBA points after missing three in a row, Bronny James could breathe a sigh of relief and everything seemed to slow down.
He doesn’t expect perfection at this early stage of his professional career, and every touch and possession will provide an opportunity for growth and learning.
He certainly felt the love and support on Saturday, even playing in a Bay Area ruled by Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
“The atmosphere was more than I expected,” James said with a smile. “This is a big game for me, but I didn't know the people of Golden State would come out and represent me, so that was great to see.”
READ: NBA: Bronny James says he's happy he's able to play with father and Lakers
Bronny James takes DHO downhill for 2 runs! 💪
🏀 Lakers-Kings
☀️ California Classic on ESPN pic.twitter.com/yMXvhrsN3u— NBA (@NBA) July 6, 2024
With oversized headphones over his ears and dressed in Lakers gold, the newcomer, set to make his NBA Summer League debut on Saturday, had a look so similar to his famous father, LeBron, that some in the Chase Center crowd were surprised.
From his familiar body language, facial expressions to the way he runs or retreats to defense. Bronny James earned his spot in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers and his professional career officially began, with plenty of scouts in the building noticing it as he wore jersey number 9 – not to be confused with his father's former No. 6 uniform he wore before turning 23.
“Every first game when I step up to the next level I always have some butterflies in my stomach, but as soon as the ball is tipped and we're down two times, it all goes away and I just keep playing basketball,” he said. “It'll always be there, but get over it.”
The young James scored four points on 2 of 9 shooting, missing all three of his 3s, and also had an assist, two rebounds and a steal in just under 22 minutes on the court — 21:43 to be exact — as the Lakers lost 108-94 to the Sacramento Kings.
James, playing nearly six minutes of action in his first four minutes, missed his first two shots — grabbing a defensive rebound 1 minute, 20 seconds into the game and then missing a 21-foot jump shot moments later. He missed a 26-foot 3-point try at 4:23 of the opening quarter and then got a breather.
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James was greeted with cheers and applause when he returned to the court at 8:17 of the second quarter. He was whistled for the first foul of his career on a 3-point attempt by Sacramento's Xavier Sneed on the right wing with 7:23 remaining, and James briefly argued before the play went to replay review and was overturned. James' 3 from the top of the arc at 7:04 missed off the front rim.
Then, finally, James scored his first NBA points on a driving layup 5:51 before halftime.
“Moments like that can slow the game down for you, especially because I wasn't as productive as I wanted to be before,” he said. “… I couldn't knock down the 3-ball, but it was easy to do it all the time.”
James missed two free throws at 4:43 of the third period on his first trip to the line.
At one point during his warmup routine, the 6-foot-2-inch guard stood with his hands on his waist like his father. And during the game, the son crouched in the baseline 3-point corner, holding his knees and waiting for the offensive possession to begin.
Read: LeBron James' son Bronny James selected by Lakers in NBA Draft
The younger James was selected by the Lakers in the second round at 55th overall out of the University of Southern California.
He'll get another chance to play Sunday when the Lakers face the Warriors, again at Chase Center. Coach Dan Johnson plans to give James plenty of opportunities to acclimate and gain valuable experience in the days and weeks ahead.
“Hopefully he plays all the games, let's see what happens,” Johnson said. “We'll try to integrate him and give him the opportunity to play as many games as possible. He needs more playing experience.”
Johnson praised James' keen court awareness, saying, “We all know he already has good instincts, so finding consistency in that is something we'll continue to grow with throughout Summer League and the upcoming season. His instincts are there, we just have to keep building habits.”
If all goes according to plan, 19-year-old James and his dad will become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time — and on the same team.
READ: Bronny James grateful to have NBA dream come true after health scare
“Whatever he does in the California Classic and Summer League, it doesn't matter if he plays well or not and it doesn't matter if he doesn't play well,” LeBron James said at USA Basketball's training camp in Las Vegas. “I just want him to keep moving forward, practice, film sessions, do his individual workouts. You can't take anything stats-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it over once the season starts. The only thing that matters is him getting better and getting more days.”
Bronny is the eldest son of NBA career scoring leader LeBron. He suffered a cardiac arrest during an unofficial team workout at USC last July 24 and was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. The younger James has signed a four-year contract that will pay him $7.9 million.
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He will continue to remind himself to stay aggressive and “believe in myself, because I can make plays for myself and my teammates.”
“Looking at my mistakes and looking at the things that I did right is really good for me,” James said. “But at the same time, getting comfortable with my game game by game, I think that's a big reason I come out here and get those reps.”
