Lakers Summer League coach Dale Johnson discussed Bronny’s future after the rookie’s Summer League debut

THE Los Angeles Lakers are familiar with bright lights, drama, and attention more than any franchise in the NBA.

But the buzz that surrounded Bronny James’ first games in a purple and gold jersey reached extraordinary heights — causing tensions within the Lakers’ Summer League roster, The U.S. Sun has reported.

Bronny James had a tumultuous NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers rookie struggling on the court while dealing with the overwhelming spotlightCredit: Getty

The attention on Bronny caused ‘tensions’ within the Lakers locker room, The U.S. Sun has been toldCredit: Getty

Bronny is the eldest son of Lakers star LeBron JamesCredit: Getty

The Lakers’ decision to draft their superstar’s eldest son at No. 55 overall in June was a historic moment for the franchise, the NBA, and the James family.

The league finally saw the first-ever father-son tandem come together — its very own response to MLB’s Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. from the early 1990s.

With it came ugly nepotism debates, fuelled by Bronny’s guaranteed $7.9 million deal and LeBron’s contract extension despite previous claims he could take a pay cut to help the team chase impact players in free agency.

The 6-foot-2 guard got a spot on the 15-man roster despite averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his lone season at the University of Southern California, shortened by the cardiac arrest he suffered a few months before the start of his freshman year.

Bronny, 19, saw the hot takes and social media posts that added to the “amplified amount of pressure” he felt, the Lakers rookie said during his introductory press conference a few days before his Summer League debut.

The guard went 3-for-12 from the field while showing glimpses of defensive potential in two California Classic appearances, missing one clash with knee swelling, before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the main tournament.

There, the second-round pick remained the center of attention even though top names from the 2024 draft class — be it Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, or Reed Sheppard — all coming to play in Sin City.

On Day 1, ESPN held a segment on Bronny even before he put on his No. 9 jersey with James Jr. on the back, during coverage of the game that preceded the Lakers’ clash with the Houston Rockets.

Inside Thomas & Mack Center, a custom rug of his likeness was hung on the wall at the arena’s concourse next to one celebrating the Vegas Summer League’s 20th anniversary.

The Lakers dropped to 0-5 after losses to the Rockets and Boston Celtics, which center Colin Castleton would later admit to reporters was “a little rough.”
‘Bronny has earned this’ JJ Redick slams back at critics after claims he was drafted just because he’s LeBron James’ son

A custom rug of Bronny’s likeness was displayed at Thomas & Mack Center’s concourse during the Summer LeagueCredit: The U.S. Sun

Meanwhile, the hysteria around Bronny — amplified by LeBron’s past comments about a potential NBA link-up with his son, which the young James tried to distance himself from — only intensified.

The rookie made headlines because of his tough start — he averaged 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 22.6% from the field and going 0-for-15 from 3 — and even his Call of Duty competition win.

The buzz and his alleged star treatment rubbed some within the locker room the wrong way, a Lakers insider told The U.S. Sun.

“That kind of tension didn’t help the group of players to build chemistry,” said the insider, who they added, had “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.”

Bronny dealt with the overwhelming hype with humility when speaking to the media and even suggested an openness to a potential G League assignment.

His camp didn’t make him available to reporters often, though, which the insider felt was “not nice” to his teammates and other members of the Lakers franchise.

“You can’t be treated like a star when you aren’t a franchise player or a superstar,” the source continued before adding, “This isn’t a good look for us.

“And with dealing with Bronny’s attention and treatment, plenty of the other young guys that are trying to make the roster for next season couldn’t show their best side and show their A game.”

A Lakers Summer League player, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed he didn’t think he could put his talent on full display in Vegas.

“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,” the player said.

“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.

You can’t be treated like a star when you aren’t a franchise player or a superstar.

Los Angeles Lakers insider

“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 tensions were visible, and pretty much we were all thinking about the end of the Summer League to get out of here and focus on our next step in our careers.”

The player didn’t try to blame Bronny for the “tense atmosphere,” saying he wished him well and even felt “a bit bad” for the young James “as he is not ready for all this, and he isn’t ready for the NBA in my opinion.”

In fact, James Jr. seemed to be making an effort to work on the group’s camaraderie, hyping up his teammates from the sidelines on many occasions during games.

His performance also improved toward the end of the tournament, finishing strong with 13 points on 5-for-10 from the field in addition to five rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in a 93-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers — his last performance in Vegas.

Los Angeles went on a three-game winning streak before leaving Sin City.

Still, the player who spoke with The U.S. Sun said that playing in what he labeled “Bronny On Tour” took away from his Summer League run.

“It wasn’t a good experience, to be honest with you,” the player said.

“And the fact that almost everything was centered around Bronny didn’t help.”

Reactions to Bronny’s first weeks as a Laker were as varied as the NBA world’s response to his selection in the draft.

Cayden Boozer, the son of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer and a five-star prospect, defended the young James, pointing out the massive weight his family name carries.

“He’s getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of haters,” he told The Athletic.

“He’s still a rookie. He was the 55th pick. I don’t know why they’re expecting, like, that he’s supposed to be the next generational player.

“He has to become his own player. You have to let that happen.”

A basketball scout who spoke to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints echoed Boozer’s claims.

“Everyone needs to calm down a little bit with the label of him being a bust because these growing pains were expected,” the scout said.

He’s getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of haters.

Cayden Boozer
“Between his heart problem last summer and having the handle the pressure of being LeBron’s son, Bronny is about where a lot of us thought he would be.”

On the other hand, veteran sportswriter and The Ringer founder Bill Simmons predicted that Bronny would be a “major distraction” for the Lakers in his rookie year.

“This Bronny James thing is gonna be a weird wrinkle in the season, I don’t think it’s gonna be a positive,” Simmons said on his podcast.

“It’s cool that he’s going to be able to play with his son, but it’s going to be a major distraction this whole season. It just is.”

Meanwhile, the Lakers signaled they weren’t concerned about Bronny’s future.

“He’s trying to find his way,” the team’s Summer League coach Dale Johnson said, via The Athletic.

“He’s trying to find the offense. Again, trying to get more reps with our guys to feel comfortable.

“But not worried about him. I’ve seen him shoot. I’ve seen him play.”

Bronny is going to have “a long career,” Johnson added.

“This is just the beginning. … We’ve got a long way to go,” he said.