The arrival of Bronny James to the NBA as the 55th pick in the 2024 Draft, taken by the Los Angeles Lakers, caused an avalanche of criticism on social networks due to the alleged interference of his father, LeBron James, for him to enter the league without have the necessary level.

The son of one of the best players in basketball history had his debut in the Summer League, where young talents chosen in the Draft have the opportunity to show their level, and he did not have one of his best games. The Lakers’ ‘9’ only managed 4 points, with 2 of 9 field goals, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in almost 22 minutes of play. Bronny had some emotional words after the game.

“Every first game that I step on the next level there’s always some butterflies in my stomach, but as soon as the ball tips and we go a couple times down it all goes away and I’m just playing basketball,” James said. “It’s always going to be there, but I’ll get through it.”

His dad also spoke about Bronny’s debut

LeBron James spoke about what can be expected from his son in the Summer League and the influence of this on the NBA regular season. While the pressure was felt immediately, it is only a preseason game.

“It doesn’t matter if he plays well and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well… You can’t take anything in terms of stats from the California Classic and the Summer League and bring him in once the season starts. The only thing that matters is that he improves and accumulates days,” he said.

James Jr. did not play the full NCAA season due to the cardiac arrest he suffered before starting the 2023-24 college basketball season. However, his performance must improve if he wants to remain within the team that will be coached in this new campaign by JJ Redick.