Bronny James kicked off his NBA journey with the Summer League. Rocking No. 9, the 19-year-old played 21 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers faced a 94-108 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center. In his debut, the former USC guard finished with four points, two assists, a steal, and two rebounds going 2-of-9 from the field and 0-of-3 from downtown. Not brilliant or stunning by any means, but no one expected it to be so, either.

However, the one thing that did happen was that Bronny sustained a knee injury in his first California Classic game. As reported by Mike Trudell, a “trace swelling” on his left knee had Coach Dane Johnson and the team decide to sit James Jr. out for the Day 2 matchup vs the Warriors. However, Trudell has good news, too.

As per his latest report, while he is listed as day-to-day, the chances of Bronny suiting up on Wednesday are highly likely. “Taking it day-by-day, just being precautionary about it. The plan is for him to play (Wednesday).“

The next and final game that the Lakers will play in the California Classic will be against the Miami Heat, after which the whole caboodle will move to Las Vegas for the last leg of the 76-game Summer League. With the current updates, it looks like Bronny James could get in more practice before Vegas.

As for his performance, Coach Johnson had realistic expectations. “He’s just got to keep learning, keep getting reps and learning how much he’s capable of,” he said after Saturday’s game. It surely is good advice, especially considering the difficulties of the past year.

Bronny James has quite a bit of catching up to do

This month last year, the news of the superstar LeBron James’ son’s sudden cardiac arrest during a practice workout shook the basketball world. The then-18-year-old was getting ready for his USC debut when the unfortunate incident affected the James family. Doctors later diagnosed the reason to be a congenital heart defect. However, the medical experts assured the distressed family that their firstborn would be back on his feet before they knew it.

And he did. After getting medical clearance, Bronny got back to the grind. But then, we all know what happened later. He played 25 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, going 36.6% from the field and 26.7% from the three-point line. He also had a side of jeers, criticism, and negative comments to go along with it.

Yet, Bronny kept his head down and continued working. The result was a four-year $7.9 million contract as the Purple & Gold selected him as the 55th pick in the second round of Draft Night. The ridicule continued. And it does not look like it’s going to stop anytime soon, either. Then again, Bronny James has been under scrutiny his whole life, be it the good or bad kind.

Even so, it hadn’t stopped the teenager from feeling the butterflies in his stomach when he stepped onto an NBA court for the first time as a professional player. “Every first game that I step on the next level there’s always some butterflies in my stomach,” Bronny admitted. “But as soon as the ball tips and we go a couple times down, it all goes away and I’m just playing basketball. It’s always going to be there, but get through it.”

There is no doubt that he will get through it! Bronny has already gotten through a lot of ordeals. And these jitters? They’ll surely fade in comparison to what he has gone through. At the end of the day, he is just another kid who loves to play basketball and got the chance to do so on one of the best platforms in the world. We can be sure Bronny is not one to make light of such an opportunity, right?

 Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our exclusive ES Fancast!