The “Will Luka Doncic sign his extension with the Lakers” saga has finally been put to rest, and it’s been the most talked-about topic in the NBA over the last 48 hours. He will be a part of the LA-based team for the next three years, laying the foundation for them to make some serious moves soon. Photos from the signing and the subsequent press conference brought great excitement for Lakers fans, but the absence of LeBron James and his son Bronny was glaring, leading to a barrage of theories as to why.
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LeBron has already been scrutinized for toying with Lakers fans’ emotions, posting cryptic messages on social media that hinted at a potential move despite opting into his $52 million player option. So when he was absent from Doncic’s press conference, critics were quick to claim that he doesn’t care about the Lakers’ future. But is that really the case?
Occam’s razor suggests that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one, and in this case, the reason behind the father-son duo’s absence is straightforward. They were on vacation. There’s plenty of footage of LeBron playing golf during that time to back it up. And although Dan Patrick doesn’t like it, there are those backing LeBron and especially Bronny up.
Patrick had fired off at Bronny for not being there when Luka put pen to paper. He claimed that for him to have a spot on the Lakers roster post his dad’s retirement, he should’ve shown support to the Slovenian.
Thankfully, on Gil’s Arena, Bronny had former Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings in his corner. Patrick called Bronny the “last person on the roster,” implying that he’s barely making the team. Jennings piggybacked off that comment and said, “I’mma be honest, since I’m the last person on the team, my ass should just be in the gym.”
“If I’m the last person on the team, I should be celebrating nothing! My a** should be in the gym, my a** should be around my father, I should be doing anything mentally, and everything that can help me get ready for next year.”
Jennings’ sarcastic tone also made it clear that he disagrees with Patrick’s statement that Bronny is the last person on the roster, and that his performances in the 2025 Summer League will provide a solid foundation for him to boost his career.
Now, Bronny knows his sophomore season will be huge for him. One of the main reasons is that it could be LeBron’s last season as a pro, and if it is, then Bronny will need to prove to the team and the league in general that he actually does deserve his roster spot, and that he wasn’t a nepotism hire. And he does have a clear path to success.
In Bronny’s pre-draft press conferences, he made it clear that due to the limitations his height gives him on the offensive end of the floor, he would have to become a menace on defense, a la Davion Mitchell.
Bronny’s interview with Dan Woike during the Summer League just reiterated that. “I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor because there’s gonna be guys that can go out and score 15-20 a game,” he said.
“I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now, but to get myself on the floor, I have to be a defensive menace, and that’s my main focus. It’s been shown that I know how to score the ball a little bit, so I stand true to that, but also focus on the defensive end.”
There were flashes of his defensive talent on display at the Summer League. The 20-year-old knows better than anyone that defense is his only way of making a legitimate bid for a rotation spot with the Lakers next year.
