In Photos: Bronny James hones skills with former Lakers in NBA star packed pickup game
Right after the Summer League ended, Bronny James was back in the gym. The son of the LA Lakers superstar LeBron James was seen practicing with NBA players, including Chris Johnson, preparing himself for the Lakers' upcoming season.
Some of the big names in the gym were Utah Jazz player Jordan Clarkson, Minnesota Timberwolves star Jaren Jackson Jr., Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan and Chicago Bulls player Lonzo Ball.
Other players in the building included former Lakers Tristan Thompson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as well as Cleveland Cavaliers player Darius Garland and Miami Heat athlete Delon Wright.
Bronny James didn’t have a great Summer League outing. He played in four of the Lakers’ five games and had poor overall shooting. He averaged seven points per game while shooting 32.7%, including 13% from the 3-point line. He also recorded 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 turnovers. However, he had impressive performances in the last two games of the event.
Bronny James Summer League teammate defends him against special treatment allegations
The alleged special treatment for Bronny James was a talking point last week. The US Sun reported that some Lakers players were frustrated with the preferential treatment given to the son of superstar LeBron James. An insider who spoke with the outlet said this perceived favoritism might have hampered the team's chemistry.
Replying to these reports, Blake Hinson, a player in the LA Lakers who signed a two-way contract with the team, questioned their validity:
“Where is that (report) at? Honestly, you know how it is. Stuff like that doesn’t really shock me. But we need to figure out if that’s even true because to be totally honest with you, as far as his treatment, he was just a normal guy.
“He just played basketball. He really stays out of the way. He’s a cool dude. I don’t really understand how something like that came out. So that’s nonsense to me.” (Time stamp: 5:00)
Bronny James entered the league as arguably the most famous No.55 draft in the NBA this year. Given that he is the son of LeBron James, it was unlikely that he would escape the massive media attention.