With only 30 seconds into his 2025 Summer League debut on Sunday, Bronny James saw his opportunity to shine and seized it in San Francisco’s Chase Center, where the Lakers played against the Heat. The sophomore professional rocketed forward, stole the ball and elevated past the free throw line for a one-handed slam. 

Just a mine later, LeBron’s eldest son received a ball by himself beyond the arc and drained the first of his two 3-pointers of the night. By half time, he had already scored 10 points, but didn’t return to compete in the second stage. He clocked out with 11 minutes of play as Los Angeles won 103-83.

Looking ahead of his second year in the league, the 20-year-old gave out a clear, mature message about his future as a professional. “There’s gonna be guys that can score 15, 20 a game,” James explained. “I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now… I’ve got to be a defensive menace.”

During his first year in the league, Bronny only played in 27 games with one start. In his short stints wearing the purple and gold jersey, he averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds in 6.7 minutes per contest. His best performance was on March 20 when he dropped in 17 points against the Bucks.

Nevertheless, the young star did shine in the G-League, where he played 11 matches. While averaging 43.2 minutes per game, he posted 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. The young guard also dropped in 44% from the floor and 38% from three-point range.

In recent weeks, the athlete was asked about his father’s future, who some experts believed was far away from the Lakers. However, he admitted he doesn’t pay attention to rumours or social media. “Actually, one of my friends called me, talking about where [I was going to play next season], what I was going to do because they saw my dad [in the news].

“I didn’t see it,” Bronny revealed to the press. “He called me. I was like, ‘Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ … I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to.”

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