Bronny James reveals biggest surprise during Summer League debut vs. Kings
07/06/2024 09:51 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their NBA Summer League schedule on Saturday at the California Classic. It was Bronny James’ NBA Summer League debut with the Lakers. James has drawn plenty of attention since the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Following the game, James revealed that the biggest surprise for him was the fan atmosphere that greeted him as per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“Maybe the atmosphere. It was more than I expected,” James said. “I mean, it’s a big game for me, but I didn’t know if people from Golden State would come and rep for me. So that was pretty nice to see.”
In Bronny James NBA Summer League debut, he finished with four points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. He started and played 22 minutes. He shot 2-of-9 from the field, 0-of-3 from the three-point line and 0-of-2 from the free-throw line.
In the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, James reportedly would not workout for any teams aside from the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. His agent Rich Paul also made it clear that James was not looking to sign a two-way contract. Just this past week, the Lakers signed James to a four-year contract worth around $7.9 million.
James spent one season playing college basketball at USC following a return to the court after going into cardiac arrest. He appeared in 25 games for the Trojans with underwhelming stats before declaring for the NBA Draft. But it was a strong draft combine showing that put him back on the radars of NBA teams.
This upcoming season, James will play alongside his father LeBron, marking the first time in NBA history that a father and son duo played in the NBA at the same time. James will likely spend the majority of his rookie season in the G League with the Lakers affiliate the South Bay Lakers.
Bronny James could be Lakers biggest offseason addition
With the NBA free agent moratorium period over and players officially able to sign contracts, the Lakers have not been able to make any significant moves. They were in the running for Klay Thompson before he chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks. They had been mentioned as team interest in DeMar DeRozan but the Sacramento Kings appear to be the new frontrunners.
But it wasn’t as if the Lakers had cap space available to make a big free agent splash. Adding either Thompson or DeRozan would have had to be a sign and trade. The Lakers best avenue to improve the roster is going to have be through a trade. It’s been obvious the past couple of seasons that the current Lakers roster is not at a championship contending level.
But if the Lakers aren’t able to pull off an impact trade, then Bronny James might end up being the team’s biggest addition this offseason. He certainly will be from a marketing and name standpoint. James will also play alongside fellow rookie Dalton Knecht. Knecht was a lottery caliber talent who slipped to the middle of the first round.
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