The Los Angeles Lakers are familiar with bright lights, drama and attention more than any NBA franchise.
But the buzz that surrounded Bronny James’ first games in the purple and gold jersey reached extraordinary levels — causing tensions on the Lakers’ Summer League roster, The US Sun reported.
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The Lakers’ decision to draft their star star’s eldest son 55th overall in June was a historic moment for the franchise, the NBA and the James family.
The league finally saw the first father-son tandem come together — its own answer to MLB’s Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. of the early 1990s.
With that came ugly debates about nepotism, fueled by Bronny’s guaranteed $7.9 million deal and LeBron’s contract extension, despite previous claims that he might take a pay cut to help the team pursue players of impact on free agency.
The 6-foot-2 point guard earned a spot on the 15-player roster despite averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his only season at the University of Southern California, which was shortened by cardiac arrest that suffered a few months before the start of his freshman year.
Bronny, 19, saw the heated scenes and social media posts that added to the “magnified pressure” he felt, the Lakers rookie said during his introductory press conference a few days before his Summer League debut.
The point guard was 3-of-12 from the field while showing glimpses of defensive potential in two games at the California Classic, missing one contest due to knee swelling, before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the main tournament.
There, the second-round pick remained the center of attention, even though the top names in the 2024 draft class — whether Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr or Reed Sheppard — all came to play in Sin City.
On the first day, ESPN ran a segment on Bronny before he even put on his number 9 jersey with James Jr. on the back, during coverage of the game leading up to the Lakers’ clash with the Houston Rockets.
Inside the Thomas & Mack Center, a custom rug bearing his likeness was hung on the wall of the arena’s lobby, next to one celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Vegas Summer League.
The Lakers fell to 0-5 after losses to the Rockets and Boston Celtics, whose center Colin Castleton would later admit to reporters that it was “a little rough.”
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Meanwhile, the hysteria surrounding Bronny — amplified by LeBron’s previous comments about a possible NBA connection with his son, which the younger James has tried to distance himself from — has only intensified.
The rookie made headlines because of his rough start — 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 — and even his victory in the Call of Duty competition.
The unrest and his supposed star treatment upset some inside the locker room, a Lakers source told The US Sun.
“That kind of tension didn’t help the group of players build chemistry,” said the source, who added that he had “nothing against” Bronny.
Bronny fears
Bronny James struggled during Summer League – and fans began to worry about the rookie.
A clip of Bronny on social media during an 88-74 loss to the Celtics went viral when the 2024 second-round pick also sank a three-point shot as time expired.
The 19-year-old didn’t do well in the contest, scoring just two points on 1 of 5 shots, three rebounds, one assist, two turnovers and three fouls.
“I really feel sorry for Bronny. this is BAD”, commented one of them.
“He must be nervous,” wrote another.
“It’s only going to get better from here,” said a third.
“And you could feel there was no unity [between] this group of guys like Bronny was the main guy and the others didn’t think it was right, that he deserved it.”
Bronny handled the overwhelming enthusiasm with humility when speaking to the media and even hinted at openness to a possible G League assignment.
However, his team did not make him available to reporters frequently, which the source considered “not cool” to his teammates and other members of the Lakers franchise.
“You can’t be treated like a star when you’re not a franchise player or a superstar,” the source continued before adding, “This is not a good look for us.
“And in dealing with the attention and treatment of Bronny, a lot of the other young guys who are trying to make the roster for next season haven’t been able to show their best side and show their best game.”
A Lakers Summer League player, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that he didn’t think he would be able to showcase his talent in Las Vegas.
“I mean, he was treated as someone apart, not like all of us, and that’s really annoying because we don’t feel any chemistry in this group of players,” said the player.
“I ended up getting very frustrated because I was never put in the best situation, not even put into some plays or game plans because they wanted Bronny to show his skills and shine.
You can’t be treated like a star when you’re not a franchise player or a superstar.
Los Angeles Lakers Insider
“If you talk to any other player who was on the California Classic and Summer League roster, most of them will tell you the same thing.
“The tensions were visible and we were all thinking about the end of Summer League to get out of here and focus on the next step in our careers.”
The player didn’t try to blame Bronny for the “tense atmosphere,” saying he wished him good luck and even felt “a little bad” for young James “since he’s not ready for all that, and he’s not ready for the NBA in my opinion.” opinion.”
In fact, James Jr. It appeared be making an effort to work on the group’s camaraderie, praising his teammates on several occasions during the games.
His performance also improved late in the tournament, finishing strong with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, along with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a 93–89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers – his final appearance in Las Vegas.
Los Angeles had a three-game winning streak before leaving Sin City.
Still, the player who spoke to The US Sun said that playing on what he called the “Bronny On Tour” diminished his Summer League participation.
“It wasn’t a good experience, to be honest,” said the player.
“And the fact that almost everything centered around Bronny didn’t help.”
Reactions to Bronny’s first few weeks as a Laker were as varied as the NBA world’s response to his draft selection.
Cayden Boozer, son of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer and five-star prospect, defended the young James, pointing out the enormous weight his family name carries.
“He’s getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of enemies,” he said. Atlético.
“He’s still a rookie. He was the 55th pick. I don’t know why they’re expecting him to be the next generation player.
“He has to become his own player. You have to let that happen.”
A basketball scout who spoke with Brett Siegel about Clutch points echoed Boozer’s statements.
“Everyone needs to calm down a little bit with the label that he is a failure, because these growing pains were to be expected,” the scout said.
He’s getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has many enemies.
Cayden Boozer
“Between the heart issue last summer and the pressure of being LeBron’s son, Bronny is where many of us thought he would be.”
On the other hand, veteran sportswriter and The Ringer founder Bill Simmons predicted that Bronny would be a “huge distraction” for the Lakers in his rookie year.
“This Bronny James thing is going to be a weird thing this season, I don’t think it’s going to be a positive thing,” Simmons said on his podcast.
“It’s cool that he can play with his son, but it’s going to be a huge distraction all season. It just is.”
Meanwhile, the Lakers signaled they were not concerned about Bronny’s future.
“He’s trying to find his way,” Summer League coach Dale Johnson said via Atlético.
“He’s trying to find the offense. Again, trying to get more reps in with our guys to get comfortable.
“But I’m not worried about him. I’ve seen him shoot. I’ve seen him play.”
Bronny will have “a long career,” Johnson added.
“This is just the beginning. … We have a long way to go,” he said.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
