As the NBA season nears its close, rookie Bronny James has returned to the Los Angeles Lakers following the completion of his first G League campaign. In a relatively short period of time, the 20-year-old son of Lakers superstar LeBron James has suffered cardiac arrest during a USC practice in July 2023, received medical clearance to make his college debut, declared for last year’s NBA draft after one season and become arguably the league’s most polarizing rookie.
The 6-foot-2 guard’s draft stock and NBA potential had been debated well before he chose to leave USC. He generally was viewed as a proactive — if not smallish — defender with the promise to evolve as a perimeter threat.
The Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, realizing his father’s long-held dream of playing professionally with his oldest son. Since then, Bronny James has played 24 NBA games with the Lakers and 18 games with its G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
Despite his lack of production early on — he scored nine total points across 13 NBA games from October through January — James made strides later in the season. He improved from averaging 0.7 points on 9 percent shooting from the floor (2 for 22), 0.5 assists and 0.5 rebounds per game through his first four months to 4.6 points on 52 percent shooting (16 of 31), with 0.8 assists and 0.7 rebounds in 10 games over the past three months. The highlight was his performance March 20 (17 points, five assists, three rebounds and one block) in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which he played a career-high 30 minutes as the team dealt with major injuries.
“I think his confidence is growing,” Lakers Coach JJ Redick said of James after the Milwaukee loss. “I think the next step is just becoming an elite-conditioned athlete. Because when [he] does that, with his physical tools and his burst and his handle — and we think he’s going to be an above-average to really good NBA shooter — he’s going to have a chance to really make an impact.”
Bronny James’s season statistics — 2.2 points, 0.6 assists, 0.6 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game — don’t match those of first-year guards on the lower end of NBA rookie of the year consideration. He is eclipsed by the Toronto Raptors’ Ja’Kobe Walter (8.6 points on 40.5 percent shooting, 1.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds per game in 52 appearances) and the Washington Wizards’ Bub Carrington (9.7 points on 40.1 percent shooting, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game in 80 games played). His former USC teammate Isaiah Collier (8.7 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds) has two double-doubles in the past three games for the Utah Jazz.
That comparative lack of production fueled the months-long saga between ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and the elder James, which came to a head in March, when James confronted Smith during a Lakers game over his coverage of Bronny.
In January, Smith had said he wished Bronny “nothing but the best” but suggested LeBron’s commitment to play with his son — and the latter’s subsequent lack of production — left Bronny exposed to envy and unnecessary criticism. Later in that segment, Smith reviewed Bronny James’s stats at the time before continuing his point.
“You know what people are saying. You know what they’re going to do to this kid,” Smith said. “You know what these numbers mean. You know what it’s going to do to your son, to people who are missing out on opportunities. … You’re exposing your son like this.”
LeBron James later addressed their spat on “The Pat McAfee Show,” telling McAfee that his ESPN colleague made things personal in remarks about his son.
While Bronny James split time as an occasional contributor with the Lakers, he also improved throughout this season with their G League affiliate. For the latter, he played 18 games, averaging 18.6 points on 41.6 percent shooting, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31 minutes. James’s G League season concluded after the South Bay Lakers finished ninth in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.
“I’ve gained my confidence and getting my comfortability over just reps and getting out there and taking advantage of my opportunity if it was given,” James told reporters after his 17-point performance against the Bucks. “Just being ready at all times. I think that’s the biggest thing for me is the stay ready games, practices and stuff like that. Taking advantage like I did tonight.”
Bronny James was taken 54 picks later than his father was selected in the 2003 NBA draft. Late second-rounders are hardly known to offer all-star-caliber production, though some have become solid contributors. Veteran Los Angeles Clippers guard Patty Mills, the No. 55 selection by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009, played a significant role on the San Antonio Spurs’ 2014 championship team.
Mills played 10 games as a rookie, averaging 2.6 points (41.7 percent shooting), 0.5 assists and 0.2 rebounds. Over 16 seasons, he has averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. After the Boston Celtics chose E’Twaun Moore with the No. 55 pick in 2011, the now-retired guard averaged 7.9 points, 1.8 assists and two rebounds over 10 NBA seasons.
