The hype surrounding Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Summer League left his teammates very frustrated, according to The Sun.
Bronny, selected 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, averaged just 4.3 points on an atrocious 22.6% from the field and 0-for-15 from the 3-point line in his first four games.
Amid his early struggles, the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James still generated the most buzz among the rookies, even overshadowing the top picks.
“The attention he attracted was ‘very frustrating’ for the players to see, and his alleged star treatment caused friction among the team, which went 0-5 to start the tournament, per a Lakers insider,” the report said.
“That kind of tension didn’t help the group of players to build chemistry,” said an anonymous source quoted by The Sun who also said they have “nothing against” Bronny.
“And you could feel that there was no unity [between] this group of guys as Bronny was the main guy and the others didn’t feel that it was right, that he deserved that,” the Lakers insider told The Sun.
Bronny however, bounced back strong in his final two appearances — scoring 25 points with 3 assists while shooting 10-of-21 shooting, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc — before getting pulled out in the Lakers’ NBA Summer League finale.
Bronny James vs ATL Hawks
Bronny James Star Treatment
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick often referred to Bronny James as “test case No. 1” for their new player development. They were determined to give him the reps he needed to develop into what they believe is a two-way player.
It was evident in the NBA Summer League as Bronny averaged 25.1 minutes per game, the second most behind the Lakers’ first-round selection Dalton Knecht.
“I mean, he was treated as someone apart, not like all of us, and that is very annoying as we didn’t feel any chemistry in this group of players,” one anonymous Lakers player told The Sun.
“I ended up being very frustrated because I was never put in the best situation, or even put in some plays or game plans because they wanted Bronny to show his skills and shine. If you talk to any other player that was part of the roster of the California Classic and the Summer League, most of them would tell you the same thing,” the Lakers Summer League player said, according to The Sun.
Not Bronny James’ Fault
Despite the backlash, Bronny, who signed a standard rookie contract worth $7.9 million over four years, will make history at some point next season with LeBron as the first father-and-son duo to play on the same team.
The anonymous Lakers player clarified that he was not blaming Bronny but felt bad for him.
“He is not ready for all this, and he isn’t ready for the NBA in my opinion,” the player told The Sun.
Bronny, 19, was penciled to go undrafted in most mock drafts following his lackluster freshman year at USC, where he missed the first eight games of 2023-24 season after his cardiac arrest last year.
As a one-and-done freshman, he averaged 4.8 points (on 36.6 percent shooting), 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists across 25 games.
A strong showing in the NBA Draft Combine boosted his stock and several teams showed interest in him. But his agent, Rich Paul, steered him toward landing with the Lakers. The Phoenix Suns was another team who showed strong interest in drafting him.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
