The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their first blowout loss of the season on Wednesday night, losing 134-110 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second of a five-game road trip. The big loss gave way to a different headline, with NBA rookie Bronny James scoring his first basket as a pro, doing so in the city and the arena where he grew up.
Bronny, born in 2004, lived in Cleveland until LeBron James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018. That means that a majority of his biggest moments growing up were around the Cavaliers organization, and it holds a special place in his life. There perhaps couldn’t have been a more meaningful place for him to get his first ever NBA points.
The Lakers rookie spoke about what it meant for him to receive such a warm welcome in Cleveland and getting a chance to play in front of a crowd that was very much home for him, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“It was insane,” Bronny said of the reception after finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in five minutes. “Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it’s all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here.
“Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure.”
Bronny’s first basket has been a long-time coming, as he has been working towards the NBA his entire life. He described the surreal feeling of it all after seeing the league from up close all the way from childhood:
“Pretty much since I picked the ball up,” Bronny said when asked how long he has envisioned scoring his first basket in the pros. “I’ve been watching [my dad] for a minute playing in the league. Just dreaming of me being in those players’ steps, not only [LeBron’s] but players he used to play against and with.
“So yeah, it was just a dream come true for me.”
Bronny still has plenty of work to do before he can be a regular NBA player, but moments like these show the type of work that he’s put in and why he’s earned his place in the league at all. And as the cool first milestones come and go, he can start to put his focus toward development without any distraction.
Cavaliers pay tribute to Bronny James and LeBron
Wednesday night was a special one for Bronny James and LeBron as they returned home with the Lakers taking on the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
It’s still all love for both LeBron and Bronny in Cleveland. And the Cavaliers organization proved that with a great tribute video for the James boys during the first timeout in the first quarter.
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