Intrigue and speculation over Bronny James continues following the 2024 NBA Summer League tournament. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie showed some flashes of promise during the offseason competition, but skepticism remains over the NBA future of LeBron James‘ eldest son.
Despite rounding into form over his final two games in Summer League, Bronny still has a lot to prove to his coaches, his teammates, and his dad — as well as to the Lakers‘ rabid fans. A new report details alleged frustration and tension centered on Bronny, who may already be rubbing key figures the wrong way in Los Angeles.
Summer League tension?
According to the U.S. Sun, the attention that Bronny engendered upon his Summer League debut left Lakers teammates feeling cold and “frustrated,” especially as he struggled to begin the competition. A Lakers Summer League player told the outlet that Bronny’s reps shielded him from media responsibilities, and his attitude allegedly affected team camaraderie.
“He was treated as someone apart, not like all of us, and that is very annoying as we didn’t feel any chemistry in this group of players,” the player said.
The anonymous player went on to say that he felt like the Summer League was simply a Bronny showcase, and the Lakers failed to put this player in a position to succeed due to the emphasis on LeBron’s son — calling Summer League play “Bronny On Tour.”
“If you talk to any other player that was part of the roster of the California Classic and the Summer League, most of them would tell you the same thing,” the player said. “The tensions were visible, and pretty much we were all thinking about the end of the Summer League to get out of here and focus on our next step in our careers.”
Bronny James’ Los Angeles Lakers debut leaves teammates ‘frustrated’ with ‘tensions visible’ during NBA Summer League #Lakers #NBAdraft #Basketballhttps://t.co/3osTLt4bSh
— The Last Nïnjah (@BookofJahJah) July 25, 2024
However, at other times, Bronny appeared to be the consummate teammate and young professional. The 19-year-old guard was routinely seen hyping up teammates, even when he was on the bench or not performing well. By Summer League’s end, James had shown his capabilities in a 93-89 win over one of his dad’s former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers — against whom Bronny scored 13 points, hauled in five rebounds, and chipped in three assists.
“Oh yeah Moe, OH YEAH MOE, YEAHHH MO.”
Lakers rookie Bronny James showed impressive communication and leadership while mic’d up at NBA Summer League 🔥🗣️
(via @Lakers)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 25, 2024
