In his first start with the Lakers on April 13, Bronny James paid tribute to one of the franchise’s greatest players, Kobe Bryant. Bronny donned the “Year of the Mamba” Nike Kobe 5 to commemorate “Mamba Day.”
Nike officially recognized the day as “Mamba Day” after Bryant scored 60 points in his final NBA game on April 13, 2016. As a Nike athlete, Bronny chose to pay homage to a Lakers icon, as many others did throughout the league.
Bronny finished the game with four points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals from 38 minutes of action. His four steals set a new Lakers record for most steals by a first-time starter in franchise history.
After the game, Bronny said he was delighted with his rookie campaign in the NBA. The son of LeBron James, the 20-year-old faced the weight of the world entering the league, and didn’t necessarily silence his critics with his play. However, he showed enough flashes of a player who could eventually turn into a rotational player in the NBA.
Bronny James ‘Grew’ As Player and Person
“I felt like I got better — grew as a player and person,” Bronny told reporters of his rookie season on April 13. “There’s more work to be done. I feel like my progression has been slow, but I’m getting better every day…. I feel like I’ve taken some steps in the right direction. I’m looking forward to doing that in the years to come.”
In the playoffs, coaches typically shrink their rotations to seven or eight players. As such, it’s unlikely that rookies such as Bronny or Dalton Knecht receive any playing time when the Lakers host the Timberwolves in the first-round series. Yet, Bronny is excited about watching from afar and learning the nuances of playoff basketball.
“The preparation and thinking the game as much as they do in the playoffs, and their intensity, yeah, I am ready to be open-minded and learn [from] every game,” he said.
Whether Bronny turns into an NBA-caliber player or not remains to be seen. In the meantime, the Lakers plan to leave no stone unturned in fast-tracking Bronny’s development.
JJ Redick Grades Bronny James
Perhaps there isn’t a supporter of the second-generation player than JJ Redick, the head coach of the Lakers. Ever since Bronny took the court as a Laker in the 2024 Summer League, Redick has repeatedly spoken of Bronny’s work ethic.
After the season finale on April 13, Redick once again praised the rookie for growing as a player with each passing game.
“I give him and A+,” Redick graded Bronny’s rookie season, via Khobi Price of the SoCal News Group. “How he has personally handled a lot of attention, good and bad, he doesn’t even break character.
“He’s the same guy every day and he doesn’t allow the good attention to get to him. He doesn’t allow the bad attention to get to him and he just continued to work.”
Redick further thanked the South Bay Lakers’ coaching staff for aiding in Bronny’s development.
“I thought [coach] Zach [Guthrie] and his staff did a phenomenal job with him when he was down with the South Bay Lakers,” Redick said. “He’s improved and we saw this particularly, I went to some early games and seeing his confidence grow from October, November, to really that second part of the G League season, post Showcase, was phenomenal.
“And I think every time he’s been on the court for us in the second half of the season, you can see that level of confidence and level of comfort. He’s a guy you can tell things to and they don’t let it affect their work or their attitude. I told him, I’m very high on him longterm being a part of our rotation.”
