Category: Bronny

Photo: Bronny James supported LeBron, Team USA in Olympic win over Serbia

Lakers rookie Bronny James was in attendance to watch USA Basketball defeat Serbia in thrilling fashion in the semifinals of the Olympics.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was among the individuals in attendance on Thursday to watch USA Basketball defeat Serbia in the semifinals of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

James was joined courtside by his younger brother, Bryce, for the contest, which saw the United States overcome a 17-point deficit. Several other luminaries were also on hand, including Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.

The group was treated to a thrilling 95-91 win by the Americans.

Stephen Curry erupted for 36 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:24 left to play, while Joel Embiid had 19 points and LeBron James, father and teammate of Bronny, registered a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

LeBron James is the first player in Olympic history with multiple triple-doubles. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Team USA trailed by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, but coach Steve Kerr leaned mostly on a 5-man lineup that featured Curry, Embiid, James, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The group outscored the Serbians 32-15 to set up a gold medal match with France on Saturday.

You can bet Bronny will be there to watch his father go for a third gold.

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Bronny James breaks out of slump, helps Lakers to win in summer league

Bronny James snapped a cold spell and produced his best outing of summer league to help lead the Lakers to a win over the Hawks.

Bronny James snapped a cold spell on the court and produced his best outing of the NBA Summer League on Wednesday to help lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

James produced 12 points, one rebound and one steal in 23 minutes in the 87-86 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. He went 5-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, in his fifth appearance.

The 55th pick entered the contest in a slump, missing his first 15 attempts from beyond the arc this summer between Sacramento and Las Vegas. He came out and made four out of his first five shot attempts and later made a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game up in the fourth quarter.

James was one of three Lakers who finished in double figures, joining Colin Castleton (17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) and Blake Hinson (14 points). The group picked up its first win in the desert, improving to 1-2 through three games.

First-round pick Dalton Knecht did not play.

With James breaking out a bit in the contest, the 19-year-old will look to build on that performance over the Lakers’ last two games. The team will face Cleveland on Thursday (9 p.m. EDT, ESPN) and finish with Chicago on Saturday (7 p.m. EDT, NBA TV).

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LeBron reacts to Bronny James’ first points with Lakers in summer league

Bronny James debuted with the Lakers on Saturday, and the 55th pick received the stamp of approval from his father after his first points.

Bronny James debuted with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in the California Classic, and the 55th pick received the stamp of approval from his father, LeBron James, after his first points.

James produced four points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in a 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco. He finished by shooting 2-of-9 from the field in 21 minutes, 43 seconds of action.

The 19-year-old played four different stints of about 4-5 minutes each quarter. He had his best run in the second quarter after picking off a pass that led to a fastbreak for the Lakers and finishing a driving right-handed layup on their next possession.

LeBron liked what he saw from Bronny.

Bronny, who signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers, started at point guard in the contest next to 17th pick Dalton Knecht, who finished with 12 points and four assists. Blake Hinson led the way with 17 points, while Maxwell Lewis had 14 points.

Overall, the former USC guard had a solid debut for the Lakers. He made some strong defensive plays against the opposition and will have the opportunity to get more reps on the court as the Lakers progress through their schedule.

The Lakers will return to action on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors (6:30 p.m. EDT, NBA TV). They will wrap up their stay in Sacramento on Wednesday against Miami before beginning a five-game stint in Las Vegas on Friday versus Houston.

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Lakers’ JJ Redick on Bronny James: ‘Bronny has earned this through hard work’

Bronny James was introduced by the Lakers on Tuesday, and earned high praise from newly hired coach JJ Redick.

Bronny James was introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and the eldest son of LeBron James earned high praise from newly hired coach JJ Redick.

James was selected with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft on Thursday after playing one season at USC. He was one of two draft picks by the Lakers last week and came highly touted, given his background, skill set and potential.

Bronny has been the subject of much conversation from the outside about the reasoning behind the Lakers’ ultimate selection. However, the organization, led by president Rob Pelinka and Redick, is high on his potential on the court and his character off of it.

“Rob and I didn’t give Bronny anything,” Redick said. “Bronny has earned this. Bronny talks about his hard work: Bronny has earned this through hard work. For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as case study one. His base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack defender, shooting and passing, there is a lot to like about his game.”

https://www.youtube.com/live/HUaiohuMJZs?si=wGNfXnn7I2K9v45Q

James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting from the field in 25 games as a freshman with the Trojans. Despite an inconsistent campaign, he was still considered a potential second-round pick as a talented player.

He helped his draft stock at the combine after measuring in with a 6-foot, 7 1/4-inch wingspan. He averaged 8.5 points in two scrimmage games and also went 19-of-25 in the 3-point star drill while registering the sixth-best max vertical (40 1/2 inches).

Teaming up with his father, Bronny has said, wasn’t his goal. But through careful work by him and his agent, Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group, who also represents LeBron, the first-ever father-son duo came to fruition on Thursday.

Bronny has always felt the pressure of being the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He revealed that pressure has since ratcheted up even higher, but he believes he can handle it.

(Joining the team) has for sure amplified the amount of pressure. I’ve already seen it on social media and on the internet talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity, but I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. It is nothing different but it is more amplified, for sure. I can get through it.

The 19-year-old was one of 13 players listed on the Lakers’ roster for the California Classic and NBA Summer League, along with first-round pick Dalton Knecht and roster players Maxwell Lewis and Colin Castleton, among others.

Bronny will debut on Saturday at the Chase Center in San Francisco against the Sacramento Kings. The team will play three games there before starting a five-game campaign on July 12 versus the Houston Rockets in Las Vegas, Nevada (7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN).

He is eager to get started and showcase himself.

“I feel like I know how to play the game already and the right way but just being more aggressive on offense and creating my shot because I know that is what I can do,” James said. “Just being more aggressive.”

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Nico Harrison addresses Mavericks’ reported interest in Bronny James

Mavericks president Nico Harrison commented on Bronny James on Friday after the team was reportedly said to be interested in him.

Dallas Mavericks president Nico Harrison declined to comment on draft prospect Bronny James on Friday after the team was reportedly said to be interested in him.

James has been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns as potential destinations in the NBA draft. He has only worked out for them in the predraft process as he and his agent, Rich Paul, have been selective with his visits.

However, Paul told ESPN this week that three other teams have expressed interest in James: Dallas, Minnesota and Toronto. He said the Mavericks could be a potential landing spot for James with the 58th pick in the second round.

“Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be,” Paul told ESPN. “Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don’t take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. Masai (Ujiri, Raptors president,) loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”

The Mavericks currently have just the 58th pick in the draft. With James most commonly linked to the Lakers at No. 55, the Mavericks would theoretically have to trade up to take before him L.A. is on the clock on Thursday.

Harrison was asked about James in his end-of-season press conference on Friday, though, because of league rules preventing executives from publicly commenting on draft prospects, couldn’t say much about the former USC guard.

“I don’t think I can say anything about players that are not drafted,” Harrison said. “Rich is going to say what he is going to say.”

James, the eldest son of LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting from the field in 25 games as a freshman at USC. He scored in double figures three times, including a season-high 15 points and three assists on Dec. 30.

The 19-year-old appears to have a handful of teams that he could potentially land, with the Lakers and Suns the likely front-runners at this point of the process. With the draft moving to two nights this year, it likely won’t be until Thursday until we learn where James will go.

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9-time All-Star Paul George names Bronny James’ most impressive trait

Clippers forward Paul George recently offered a scouting report of Bronny James and believes he has a bright future ahead.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George recently offered a scouting report of draft prospect Bronny James and the nine-time NBA All-Star believes he has a bright future ahead.

James, the eldest son of LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting from the field in 25 games as a freshman at USC. He scored in double figures three times, including a season-high 15 points and three assists on Dec. 30.

The 19-year-old is considered a second-round pick on June 27 after attending the combine and completing workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. George, speaking on his podcast, likes James’ current ability and thinks he can be a steal in the draft.

What’s most impressive is just his basketball savviness. He can do it all. I feel like he hasn’t shown that he can really be elite at a lot of things, but I think he can be elite at a lot of things. I compare him to the Jrue Holidays, the Derrick Whites—guys that are glue guys that can go do everything on the floor and help you win. That’s kind of how I see him.

James previously pointed to Holiday and White as players he wants to model his game after. He likes the way that they can impact games for their respective teams and the grit, toughness and defensive intensity they play with nightly.

LeBron commended his son for watching those players because they affect winning at a high level. He loves the mindset Bronny has at this stage of his basketball career and believes he can also bring that ability with him to the NBA.

Bronny is projected to be drafted by the Lakers with the 55th pick, though other teams have reportedly expressed interest in him. He and his agent, Rich Paul, have been selective with his predraft workouts in an effort to land in the best situation for him. We will soon learn which team that is.

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