Bronny James silenced some of his critics with his performance in the Lakers game on Thursday night … ’cause the guard dropped 17 points in Crypto.com Arena — a career-high for the rookie.

The 20-year-old got his opportunity to play for more than a few minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks … thanks to several key players like LeBron, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and more out with injuries.

Despite the Lakers’ 118-89 loss, Bronny had 17 points, his first career double-digit game and tying fellow rookie Dalton Knecht to lead the team in scoring. He also had five assists and three rebounds.

It might’ve been the shoes — Bronny rocked Kobe Bryant‘s 5 Protro “Year of the Mamba Eggplant” kicks for part of the contest.

After the game, Bronny weighed in on his improvement … saying, “I’ve gained my confidence and gained my comfortability over just reps and getting out there and taking advantage of my opportunity if it’s given.”

“Being ready at all times I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”

This is a standout moment for the rookie, who has faced criticism over the nepotism narrative since his dad’s team selected him in the 2024 NBA Draft.

In fact, the chatter got so loud … LeBron confronted Stephen A. Smith at a Lakers game for adding to the negativity.