The Los Angeles Lakers just came back from a trip to Slovenia, taking part in a minicamp and team bonding trip hosted by superstar guard Luka Doncic. Now that that’s finished, there is still some time before training camp officially begins and players still must find different ways to remain in shape during the offseason.
Bronny James found one way to remain active while taking part in something he enjoys doing as the third-year player was seen showing up to and participating in a pickup soccer game:
Bronny pulled up to a random soccer pickup game 😅
(via missjesselmartin/IG) pic.twitter.com/sPTSfjdUGn
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 27, 2026
Players often take part in different sports as certain actions can translate over to basketball. In addition to being a great choice in order to improve and maintain cardio, soccer is great as it requires elite footwork, something that is extremely important in basketball, while also focusing on short-burst movements and change-of-direction skills that can also translate to the court.
James looked pretty comfortable on the pitch, showing that this was definitely not the first time he’s played some matches. Soccer takes a lot of skill and James looked good moving around, battling for the ball and moving past some players with his speed.
This season will be a crucial one for James as he is entering his third season with the Lakers and his first without his father LeBron James on the team. Since he was drafted, Bronny has come under scrutiny as many believe his father is the only reason he made it to the NBA even though he has had some moments where he has played important minutes for the Lakers and contributed to wins.
This is also the final guaranteed year on his contract as the Lakers have a team option for next season, so he will need to show serious growth in order to crack the rotation for JJ Redick. The path won’t be easy with who the Lakers have brought in this offseason, but many eyes will be on James to see what he can do with his father no longer looming over him on the same team.
ESPN projects Lakers to be worse than last season
There are a lot of new faces on the Lakers this season and many are unsure whether this team can maintain the level of success they have had over the past couple of seasons. In fact, ESPN recently released their projections for the 2026-27 season and believe the Lakers will be worse than last year.
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