Bronny James Knows ‘Amplified’ Pressure is Ahead as LeBron’s Lakers Teammate

The Lakers’ leadership lauded Bronny James at Tuesday’s introductory news conference, saying he earned his opportunity with the team.

With his famous father watching intently from across the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice court, Bronny James held up his yellow jersey, featuring the No. 9 and “James Jr.” on the back, for a crowd of dozens of reporters.

Like any teenage rookie, Bronny James, who was selected by the Lakers in the second round of last week’s draft, chose his words carefully and sounded nervous at times Tuesday during his introductory news conference alongside General Manager Rob Pelinka and Coach JJ Redick. But unlike anyone else in league history, Bronny James will be part of the NBA’s first father-and-son duo when he takes the court with LeBron James next season.

“Everything has been surreal,” Bronny James said. “I’m trying to take it all in. I’m extremely grateful for everything that [Redick and Pelinka] have given to me. I’ve just been extremely excited to get to work. … I had my own basketball stuff going on, so I wasn’t really in my dad’s pocket all day following him around the Lakers’ facility. I’ve heard some stories, but I don’t know exactly what’s to come.”

Though the 19-year-old James was the 55th pick, he emerged as one of the faces of this year’s draft class because of his father, who has spent the past six seasons as the face of the Lakers. Bronny James is represented by Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, LeBron James’s longtime business partner, and he held pre-draft workouts with only a few teams, including the Lakers.

The Lakers’ selection of Bronny James

Who suffered sudden cardiac arrest last summer and then averaged just 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 25 appearances as a freshman at Southern California, drew charges of nepotism. LeBron James has said for years that he wanted to play with his son, as former baseball stars Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. did with the Seattle Mariners.

“I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad,” Bronny James said. “… [Playing with him] is for sure an amplified amount of pressure. I’ve already seen it in the media and on the internet, talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity. I’ve been dealing with stuff like this my whole life. It’s nothing different, but it’s more amplified for sure. I’ll get through it.”

Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ first-round pick, are expected to compete during Summer League showcases in Sacramento (July 6-10) and Las Vegas (July 12-22). Given the Lakers’ popularity in Las Vegas and the hype around Bronny James, ESPN will broadcast their matchup with the Houston Rockets on July 12.

Redick said he envisions Bronny James, who was a 2023 McDonald’s All-American before his health scare, as “case study one” for the organization’s new focus on player development.

“Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,” said Redick, who was hired in June to replace Darvin Ham. “Bronny has earned this through hard work. His base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defense, shooting, passing — there’s a lot to like about his game. As we build our player development program holistically, he’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”

Bronny James said he “wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at SC,” where he mostly came off the bench and averaged 19.3 minutes after being cleared by doctors to return to the court in December. The Trojans went 15-18 and didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament; Coach Andy Enfield departed for SMU at the end of the season.

Despite that challenging season and small sample size, Pelinka said Bronny James was “as athletic as any guard in this draft” and praised his defensive ability. Looking ahead, the 6-foot-2 Bronny James said he would focus on filling out his offensive game by “creating my own shot” and “being more aggressive.”

“Something Bronny and I talked about at the Chicago combine is also being [a rim attacker] on offense,” Pelinka said. “He’s shown the ability to space the floor, but we need downhill guards in our program who can put pressure on the paint. In the summer league, I know that’s a skill that [Redick] wants to develop in Bronny: attacking the rim.”

When the news conference was over, Bronny James was greeted by Savannah James, his mother, and Paul, his agent. He then briefly spoke with his smiling father, who nodded his approval and offered a handshake.

“I’m trying not to care about what other people think about me because there’s a lot of people that have something to say,” Bronny James said. “I’m just taking it day by day and staying sane while doing it.”

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