Bronny James collected an inbound pass in the corner and ran down the lane against two guards to complete a tough layup—the 19-year-old’s first bucket in the preseason – his first points in the NBA (albeit in the preseason). However, as the rest of the team sitting courtside erupted in cheers, LeBron James (and Anthony Davis) barely reacted.

Maybe it was because the basket didn’t amount to much, considering the Lakers trailed by 20 points with under a minute left in the game at the time. Unfortunately, though, that’s been the story of Bronny James this past year since his scary heart condition. That said, while his father may not have looked too enthused as the clock ticked down against the Timberwolves – leading to the Lakers registering a loss to start their preseason – LeBron showed his full support during practice.

The 20-time All-Star spoke to the media during the Lakers’ practice session on October 5 before their second preseason game against the Phoenix Suns. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha asked James if Bronny went through any adjustment phases as he made the jump from college basketball to the NBA. In the video posted by Buha, James replied, “Every rank you climb is always an adjustment to get used to.”

“When he went from middle school to high school, high school to USC, and now to the pros, it’s always an adjustment to make,” the King added. “So, I think the more and more time he’s out on the floor with pros, the speed, the cadence, and all those things, you get better and better as you spend more time on the floor.” However, he couldn’t help but acknowledge all that his son has gone through this past year.

“You got to think that he lost pretty much almost a third of the season last year because of the condition.” In July 2023, during a practice session with his USC teammates, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest. As a result, he was hospitalized for three days and underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect. Although doctors cleared him to return to playing in November – which he did (averaging 4.8 points in 25 games) – Bronny lost a significant amount of time staying away from the game. That was crucial playing time he missed out on which would’ve helped him get used to the big leagues quicker.

Apart from recovering from his heart condition, the 20-year-old has also had to deal with constant trolling and criticism. Since the Lakers’ decision to draft him, there have been questions surrounding Bronny’s readiness to play in the NBA. But despite all the noise, his father believes he’ll get back to his element. But it would require the entire team’s backing. LeBron called upon the Purple and Gold vets, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, saying, “It’s up to us as the veterans and the guys out here to try to help [Bronny] and all the other young guys to get better and better every day at what we want to accomplish.”

That said, while King James may not have reacted to his son’s first bucket in the preseason, he sure was proud of Bronny. And as LeBron and Anthony Davis sat on the sidelines and assessed their team’s performance, it gave them things to work on as the first game of the regular season gets closer. “I think for Bronny, for everybody, we want to continue to try to get better and better. You know it’s always great to get things going, to see what we need to work on, to see ways we can continue to be better. It was great to see Bronny out there,” James said.

Coming off the bench, the 20-year-old played for 16 minutes. In that time, he didn’t have the best outing in terms of offense, going 1-for-6 from the field and missing his only 3-point attempt. Registering one assist, one rebound, and a turnover, it was his defensive abilities that stood out. Reflecting on his first time playing against NBA pros, Bronny said, “I’d say it’s a game for new beginnings, me just trying to go out there and get a feel for the game, get comfortable, like how I did in Summer League.”

Bronny James: ‘The Player’ has found a place in LeBron’s good books, not only because they are father and son but also because of the youngster’s intent to get better. But what about the head coach, JJ Redick?

Did Bronny James impress JJ Redick with his Lakers preseason debut?

It wasn’t the best of starts for the new head coach as the Lakers suffered a blowout 107-124 loss against the Timberwolves. However, JJ Redick showed signs of brilliance when he managed to guide his team to cut down a 21-point deficit to one point in the second half. But it wasn’t enough to finish the game on a high. On the other hand, the team saw sparks from Max Christie and Dalton Knecht as they dropped satisfying 11- and 16-point hauls, respectively. A true value addition for Redick’s 9-man rotation policy. Bronny James wasn’t left out, either.

Even though the rookie guard didn’t make much of an impact on the box score, dropping 2 points with 3 blocks, he impressed Redick with his defensive abilities. Speaking of the youngster after the game, JJ Redick said, “We’re really happy with his progress… The kid, you know, he can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique and can, I think, turn him into a really disruptive defender, and that kind of manifested.”

Just like his dad mentioned, Bronny has to get better and better every day to find himself a regular spot in the NBA. What did you make of Bronny’s debut? Is it just a matter of letting LeBron James’ son take his time, like every other youngster in the league, and naturally get better? Or does JJ Redick go down the G-League route, which also doesn’t seem too bad as the LA franchise recently hired Zach Guthrie to spearhead the South Bay Lakers and the franchise’s player development initiative?

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.