LeBron James is still the face of the Los Angeles Lakers despite turning 40 in a few months. Even in the twilight years of his career, the King remains a talented and the most productive player for the Purple and Gold.
James has achieved almost everything a player could want in the NBA. In the 2024-25 season, LBJ will fulfill his lifelong dream of playing with his eldest son, Bronny James.
Speaking of Bronny, he has been in the spotlight since high school. However, the level of attention on James Jr. has increased multiple fold since getting drafted into the league.
Indiana Pacers guard reveals the pressure on Bronny
So far, the 19-year-old has donned the iconic Purple and Gold jersey only in the NBA Summer League. While Bronny’s numbers didn’t stand out of the box score, he still got incredible media attention.
Kyle Mangas, who will play for the Pacers in the upcoming season, recently revealed how well Bronny navigated through the pressure of being LeBron’s son in the Summer League.
“There’s so much media surrounding him,” Mangas said. “We would get off the bus at our hotel, and there’d be 250 people waiting for him to get off just to film and walk into the hotel. You got to feel for a kid like that. There’s just a lot of pressure and publicity, and that’s hard to get away from sometimes. [I] think he handled it pretty well from what I saw.”
James had an okayish run during the NBA Summer League. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game over four competitive appearances. Meanwhile, these are not incredible numbers; they are acceptable for a late-second-round pick in the league.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss defended Bronny
Considering how good of a player LBJ has been throughout his NBA career, it’s only natural to expect something similar from his son. However, Bronny may be a solid two-way guard, but it’s hard to see him reach the same level of success as his father in the NBA.
Despite that, the Lakers owner, Jeanie Buss, wants everyone to be patient with their 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. After all, the former USC Trojans guard has yet to officially debut in the league.
“Yeah, I mean, again, we have to let the kid have an opportunity to play and prove that he should be in a Laker uniform,” Buss said. “And everything that we’ve seen from him and about him and his work ethic, just some of the things he’s had to overcome being the son of a big star.”
It’ll be exciting to see how Bronny becomes a better version of himself while constantly being under the spotlight during his rookie season with the Purple and Gold.