“Work hard in silence, let your success be the noise.” And after last night’s fiery performance, Bronny James just turned up the volume way past max. No rookie has faced more criticism than Bronny. From the moment he stepped onto the court, he’d endured all the doubts, the skepticism, and the endless debates. But it looks like the tide is finally turning. And now, just as Bronny is finding his groove, his biggest supporter is stepping in to fuel the fire. His mother, Savannah James, has officially joined the conversation, giving her son the final push he needed. Because if there was ever any doubt before… its gone now.

Bronny James just put up his best performance yet and the surrounding noise just got a whole lot louder. In a 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Bronny dropped a career-high 17 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 30 minutes, shooting an insane 70% from the field. The Lakers may have lost, but for Bronny, this was a win. Because for months, questions swirled: Is he good enough for the league? Can he handle the pressure of his father’s legacy? Is he only here because of LeBron’s influence?

For months, Stephen A. Smith led the charge against Bronny James, questioning whether he truly belonged in the NBA. Through it all, LeBron James had been Bronny’s defender. But now? Savannah James has stepped into the conversation and she’s not staying silent anymore. For the first time since all the back-and-forth with Smith, Savannah made her stance loud and clear on Instagram.

She shared a post featuring Bronny’s own words from an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, alongside a powerful message: “Mean what you say and say what you mean 💕🫶🏾.”  Savannah had watched her son endure every doubt, every unfair comparison, every harsh word and now she is standing by him.

In that interview, Bronny opened up about handling criticism. He said, “I try to let [the criticism] go through one ear and out the other, put my head down, come to work and be positive every day,” and after seeing his mother’s story, one thing is clear. That positive mindset is working. Even his biggest critics, yes, including Stephen A. Smith, are flipping their stance. Smith, who once questioned Bronny’s future in the league, just admitted, “I’ve always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA.” That’s actually a full 180° from where we started. 

However, no matter what happens, Bronny now has his mother, Savannah James, standing firmly beside him. And if it ever comes down to defending her son again, she’s more than ready, just like last time.

Savannah James was this close to throwing hands after a fan disrespected Bronny

Last year, Savannah James revealed a moment when her motherly instincts nearly took over. While attending a game with her daughter, Zhuri, she witnessed a fan flipping off Bronny from the stands. And for a split second, she was ready to throw hands. Savannah recalled the tense moment on her podcast.

“I had the baby on my hip, ’bout to go and try to fight a man. He was flicking Bronny off in a game. And you know how you say you gotta be an adult and talk to the people head-on? I marched up them bleachers with Zhuri, little tiny Zhuri.” She walked straight up to the fan and called him out: “So, you flickin’ my son off? That’s what we doin’ at this game?” But the man quickly backpedaled, claiming, “Oh no, I was doin’ that to my son. That’s what we do.” 

Savannah, knowing she had Zhuri right there, chose to de-escalate the situation but make no mistake, she was ready to defend her son. Because that’s what a mother does: protect, uplift, and fight for her child when the world tries to bring them down. And now, she’s standing right beside Bronny again. After all, when it comes to her son, Savannah James means what she says and says what she means.