The spotlight and celebrity isn’t new for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James, who has had to deal with it all his life being the son of LeBron James.
Bronny’s popularity and profile skyrocketed once he was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, though he’s also had to deal with his fair share of critics. Some feel like Bronny is undeserving to be in the NBA and was only drafted at LeBron’s request, though general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick have strongly pushed back against that narrative.
Bronny and LeBron got their moment on the floor together earlier during the 2024-25 season, but since then the former has been playing mostly for the team’s G League affiliate the South Bay Lakers. Bronny recently noted he believes his development with South Bay is going well and he should continue to see the bulk of his reps there.
However, Bronny was on the bench for the Lakers’ recent win against the Portland Trail Blazers and cameras caught Anthony Davis subjecting him to some rookie treatment in front of LeBron, via Bleacher Report:
AD giving Bronny the rookie treatment in front of Bron 🤣
(via _michaelmorales10/IG) pic.twitter.com/XOlkPmCMnP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2024
In the short clip, LeBron and Bronny are sitting on the bench next to each other when Davis walks over and seemingly tells the rookie to get out his seat. All three of LeBron, Bronny and Davis get a good laugh out of the interaction and Davis takes the vacated seat next to LeBron.
It’s still a little surreal to see LeBron and Bronny sit together on the bench as teammates, and it looks like Davis is enjoying being able to treat the young guard like any other NBA rookie. Rookie duties and playful teasing are commonplace around the league and it’s good to see that Bronny isn’t getting any sort of special treatment.
Bronny’s long-term outlook is still relatively unknown given his age and inexperience, but he’s shown in spurts how he can be a valuable contributor to a team. Hopefully he continues to grow and develop behind the scenes because the Lakers could definitely use more pieces down the road.
Lakers front office would entertain trading LeBron James if he asked
As the Lakers try to navigate another tough stretch, murmurs of LeBron James asking out have become to surface. While LeBron doesn’t seem inclined to ask for a trade, the front office will reportedly entertain the idea if he does request one.
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