"The atmosphere," was Bronny's answer when asked what had surprised him the most following the Los Angeles Lakers' opening-round California Classic defeat to the Sacramento Kings (108-94). "It surpassed what I was expecting. Even though it's an important game for me, I was not sure if Golden State players were going to show up to support me. Thus, it was pleasant to observe that.
In 22 minutes, James ended with 4 points on 2 of 9 shots, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Coach of L.A.'s G League club, the South Bay Lakers, Dane Johnson, began Bronny, 19, along with Maxwell Lewis, 21, Colin Castleton, 24, Sean East II, 24, and Dalton Knecht, 23.
"He's just got to keep learning, keep getting reps and learning how much he's capable of," Johnson remarked. While he has a slight edge over someone, he can use his shoulder to go downhill with his body. just providing him more confidence."
In 2003, when LeBron James had his summer league debut in Orlando, Florida, fans crowded underneath cars in the players-only parking lot to try to obtain a peek of the prospect after he scored 14 points, pulled down 7 rebounds, and delivered six assists.
However, Bronny was chosen at 55th place and LeBron at number 1. However, there was a lot of excitement near Bronny's debut, as a number of cameras lined the baseline an hour prior to tipoff to record the 6-2 guard's warm-ups.
With a few plays remaining, James tied the game at 31-31 with his first point, a driving layup, with 5:51 remaining in the second quarter.
Regarding the second-quarter sequence, Bronny stated, "Moments like that can slow it down." "Slow the game down for you, especially, because I wasn't as productive as I wanted to [be] beforehand."
Before making his second field goal, which came on a 19-foot jump shot halfway through the third quarter, he missed his first three attempts, made one, and then missed four straight.
After his NCAA career ended abruptly with USC losing 70-49 to Arizona in the Pac-12 quarterfinals, James made his summer league debut, seeing play for the first time in almost four months. James finished with three points on 1-for-5 shooting, one rebound, and one steal.
After his NCAA career ended abruptly with USC losing 70-49 to Arizona in the Pac-12 quarterfinals, James made his summer league debut, seeing play for the first time in almost four months. James finished with three points on 1-for-5 shooting, one rebound, and one steal.
After the opening day of USA Basketball's training camp in Las Vegas, LeBron dismissed any statistical difficulties Bronny might encounter in an interview with media.
"What he does in the California Classic and summer league, it doesn't matter if he plays well and it doesn't matter if he doesn't play well," LeBron James stated. "I just want him to keep getting better through his individual workouts, film sessions, and practices. Nothing statistical from the summer league or the California Classic may be carried over to the regular season. Thus, the only things that count are his improvement and day-to-day accumulation."
Knecht, the No. 17 overall pick by the Lakers, finished with 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. After signing a two-way deal with Los Angeles from the University of Pittsburgh, Blake Hinson led the club in scoring with 17 points, shooting 5-for-7 from three. Guard Tommy Kuhse, who graduated from St. Mary's in 2022 before playing overseas, also stood out with 15 points, 8 assists and 2 steals off the bench.
Before traveling to Las Vegas, where they will play their opening game against the Houston Rockets on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), the Lakers play two more games in the California Classic: on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors and on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.
Regarding Bronny's plans for the remainder of the Lakers' summer league schedule, Johnson stated, "If he's healthy, he's going to play— granted, throughout this whole thing." "We will attempt to integrate him and obtain as many reps for him as we can. since he needs more playing experience. and the NBA game in particular. Getting reps in the NBA in a scenario with good players would benefit him in the long term because it's a little different from college."
For Bronny, Saturday was simply one step in that process."Every first game that I step into the next level, it's always some butterflies in my stomach," Bronny stated. However, as soon as the ball tips, we proceed a few times.
