Bronny bounced back in the later stages of the Summer League after a tough start
BRONNY James’ debut in the NBA Summer League caused tension among Los Angeles Lakers teammates and left some of them frustrated, The U.S. Sun has learned.
Bronny, 19, made history last month, following his dad LeBron, 39, to the City of Angels after being selected at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
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Bronny James’ Summer League debut created tensions within the Los Angeles Lakers, The U.S. Sun has learnedCredit: Getty
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Sources said the attention on LeBron James’ eldest son affected team chemistry during the Summer LeagueCredit: Getty
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Bronny’s tough Summer League start placed even more scrutiny on the 6-foot-2 guardCredit: Getty
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The Lakers selected Bronny with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA DraftCredit: Getty
Bronny reportedly signed a four-year, $7.9 million deal with Los Angeles, becoming half of the NBA’s first-ever active father-son duo — just like his father dreamed about.
But the amazing family achievement for the Jameses hasn’t gone down universally well within the Lakers so far, sources told The U.S. Sun.
Inevitably, the 6-foot-2 guard’s Summer League debut in early July generated a tremendous amount of buzz — so much so it might have gotten out of control.
The attention he attracted was “very frustrating” for the players to see, and his alleged star treatment caused friction among the team, which went 0-5 to start the tournament, per a Lakers insider.
“That kind of tension didn’t help the group of players to build chemistry,” said the source, who noted they have “nothing against” Bronny.
“And you could feel that there was no unity [between] this group of guys as Bronny was the main guy and the others didn’t feel that it was right, that he deserved that.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Lakers and Bronny’s agent for comment.
After a couple of appearances in the California Classic, Bronny packed Thomas & Mack Center ahead of his first Vegas game against the Houston Rockets on July 12.
Reporters crammed the backstage area for the second-round pick’s postgame media availability in scenes similar to the Victor Wembanyama craze last year.
That’s despite an Atlanta Hawks-Washington Wizards clash featuring a matchup between Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr coming right after the Lakers’ 99-80 loss to Houston.
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He averaged 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 22.6% from the field and going 0-for-15 from 3 in his first four games before bouncing back in the later stages of the tournament.
Along the way, Bronny’s reps made the guard unavailable for media availability on several occasions, which the source labeled as “not nice” toward his teammates and other franchise members.
“This isn’t a good look for us,” the insider said.
“And with dealing with Bronny’s attention and treatment, plenty of the other young guys that are trying to make the roster for next season couldn’t show their best side and show their A game.”
A player who was part of the Lakers’ Summer League team confirmed that with “almost everything centered around Bronny,” it was tough to enjoy hooping.
“I mean, he was treated as someone apart, not like all of us, and that is very annoying as we didn’t feel any chemistry in this group of players,” the player said.
Many hoopers fight for their basketball lives in the Summer League, trying to impress NBA teams and secure one of the remaining open roster spots.
The Lakers player said that given the attention on Bronny, he didn’t feel he had the opportunity to showcase his potential.
“I ended up being very frustrated because I was never put in the best situation, or even put in some plays or game plans because they wanted Bronny to show his skills and shine,” he said.
“If you talk to any other player that was part of the roster of the California Classic and the Summer League, most of them would tell you the same thing.
“The tensions were visible, and pretty much we were all thinking about the end of the Summer League to get out of here and focus on our next step in our careers.”
The player suggested that the special treatment of Bronny and the “tense atmosphere” it created isn’t necessarily the Lakers rookie’s fault.
He even felt “a bit bad” for James Jr. — who overcame a cardiac arrest before his freshman year at USC — “as he is not ready for all this, and he isn’t ready for the NBA in my opinion,” the player said.
Los Angeles ended the Summer League with three straight wins and Bronny put on a much better performance in his last two outings.
Still, the entire experience left a bad taste in the disappointed player’s mouth.
“It was pretty much Bronny On Tour,” he said.
