It’s not a new concept for sons of NBA players to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Bronny James’ situation is different, though, because he and his dad, LeBron James, became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game. Although he contributed to an epic moment in history, Bronny has no intention of revisiting the footage.
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Despite being the eldest child of arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, Bronny isn’t a fan of the spotlight. He could have avoided much of it by choosing a different career path or even depending on the James family’s wealth. He wasn’t forced to pursue professional basketball. It just happened that his passion turned out to be the same as his father’s.
Following the 2024-2025 regular season, Bronny headed to Las Vegas. He could’ve used the weight of his name to forego the 2025 NBA Summer League, but basketball was the only thing on his mind.
“There’s so much going on in Vegas,” Bronny said in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I personally don’t like Summer League at all. I like the competition and the games, but I don’t like coming to Vegas and being in Vegas.”
In the games he played, Bronny didn’t disappoint. Fans got to watch the former 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft go head-to-head with the 2025 top overall pick, Cooper Flagg. All of the media attention surrounding that game didn’t faze Bronny, who scored 8 points in just 10 minutes.
Bronny’s ability to remain composed under pressure may have developed during his rookie season. A great deal of speculation surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024-25 season debut and whether James would play. Lakers head coach JJ Redick threw him in for two minutes.
Although Bronny didn’t contribute much on the court, he took part in a pivotal moment in NBA history. That may hold weight to others but not too much to Bronny.
“I don’t really like the spotlight in big moments,” Bronny revealed. “I mean, it was a great experience to be part of because it was the first son-father duo. But I’m a chill guy. I don’t like [all that]. It comes with it. But yeah, I don’t really like to go back.”
Bronny understands that it is impossible to avoid the spotlight. After all, he is LeBron James’ son. But that doesn’t mean he has to fake who he is as a person.
Bronny’s also aware that he didn’t contribute much to the team during his rookie season. In 27 games, he averaged just 2.3 points on 31.3% shooting from the field. To be fair, he only played an average of 6.8 minutes per game, but that doesn’t completely excuse his lack of production on the NBA level.
James is open reviewing his highlights, but only once he puts forth performances he can be proud of. “I mean, I’ll watch my good performances where I have some minutes under my belt, but I’m not going to go and watch that,” Bronny insisted.
Los Angeles’ lack of guard and wing depth will allow Bronny more opportunity to crack Redick’s rotation. Hopefully, his sophomore season will see him take a major leap in his development as a player.
