“The Work Always Prevails”: LeBron James Shares His Words of Encouragement for Son Bronny After 30-Point Showing

The difficult period which marred the start of Bronny James’ NBA career seems to be over now. While clamors of nepotism overshadowed his historic debut, the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to not let him travel for G League games provided more fuel for the critics. However, things seem to have taken an upswing after the Lakers lifted his travel embargo. In his first G League away game, Bronny dropped 30 points for the South Bay Lakers against the Valley Suns. He followed it up with a 16-pointer outing against the same opponents, delighting father LeBron James.

The King confirmed that despite not being present courtside, he watched both of Bronny’s games and was very proud of how he carried himself. James commended the 20-year-old for the work he’s put in during training and practice sessions to make this kind of impact on court.

“Just keep stacking the days, keep putting in the work, the work always prevail at the end of the day. Its just great to see him getting back to the flow, getting back to his game, and getting back to him playing free and going on and just playing the game that he loves and know how to play,” praised LeBron.

LeBron James talks about his return to the court, how he stayed engaged during his time away from the team, and his thoughts on Bronny's recent standout performance with the South Bay Lakers. pic.twitter.com/vqS4Ypw8ii

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 16, 2024

In the two back-to-backs against the Valley Sun, Bronny led South Bay in scoring. His overall presence was indicative of a player who is slowly getting used to the pace and physical requirements of the professional leagues.

Bronny is showing his potential

Bronny, who’s touted as a solid 3-and-D player, showed that he can fulfil his potential as a significant role player in the NBA. Sure, he’s not in the league of his superstar father, but he can be a very impactful player who will only get better with time and experience.

There are still some chinks in his game that he needs to work on. His 3-point shooting was a lowly 33% on both nights, for instance.

However, his defensive game has been getting a bit of recognition. Bronny registered 2 steals and 1 block over the two road games. He’s getting used to being a smaller guard, adapting his game to overcome the size disadvantage. He showed signs he’s slowly understanding how to use his smaller size to his benefit.

In the two games, he was 14/28 from inside the arc. The 50% shooting rate is impressive considering he’s one of the smallest players on the court.

With the right amount of training and work put in, Bronny can build himself a future in the NBA, justifying the Lakers’ move to draft him, and more importantly, silencing the nepotism naysayers.