Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James' debut is over.
Bronny James, the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, made his NBA Summer League debut on Saturday during the Lakers' game against the Sacramento Kings at the California Classic in San Francisco, which the Lakers lost 108-94. James finished with four points on 2-of-9 field goal attempts, 0-of-3 three-pointers and 0-of-2 free throws in 21 minutes of play, along with two assists, two rebounds and one steal.
James was held scoreless in the first quarter, missing his first two shots, before scoring his first points at 5:51 of the second quarter, on a driving layup to tie the game at 31-31.
LeBron James wasn't able to attend his son's first NBA Summer League game because he's in Las Vegas preparing with Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the father of three continues to keep an eye on the action. LeBron James was in attendance and commented on James' first point: “Oh man, that's tough… relax.”
Bronny James was the 55th pick in the second round of last week's NBA draft out of the University of Southern California and signed a four-year, $7.9 million rookie contract on Wednesday, the same day LeBron James signed a two-year, $104 million contract with the Lakers. They are the first father-son duo in NBA history to play in the league at the same time.
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While James didn't do much offensively, he did flash some defensive prowess at times. In the second quarter, James intercepted a pass from Sacramento's Yves Pons and passed it to Blake Hinson in transition, who linked up with Kyle Mangas for an easy layup.
The Lakers cut the Kings' lead to five points with 8:37 left in the game, but Sacramento fought back to ultimately win by 14 points. The Kings shot a combined 61.9% from the field compared to the Lakers' 43.2%.
Blake Hinson led the Lakers with 17 points off the bench. Tommy Coos came close to a double-double with 15 points and eight assists, and Maxwell Lewis added 14 points. Dalton Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, finished with 12 points (3-of-12 field goals, 1-of-4 3-pointers).
Sacramento's Adonis Arms recorded a double-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Antwan Davis, who made six 3-pointers, scored 20 points off the bench and Jordan Ford added 17 points.
