Watch: Bronny James gets his first bucket for the Lakers with a sassy layup

Bronny James has started his first game with the LA Lakers today. The 55th pick of the 2024 NBA draft is keen to make an impact on the Purple and Gold, starting in the NBA Summer League.

He's playing in the California Classic Summer League, where the Lakers are taking on the Sacramento Kings. James already got his first points with the 17-time NBA champions, going for a layup against a couple of defenders and using the board to get a bucket.

At the time of writing, James has only scored two points in 11:49 minutes of action. He's made one shot in six attempts, including two from beyond the arc. James is posting a -9 plus-minus besides one rebound, assist and steal.

Bronny James spent one season at USC, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games.

Bronny James sends a strong message to doubters

Bronny James was pretty clear about his expectations coming into the NBA. LeBron James' older son was on the receiving end of criticism for how his draft selection was handled, but he's not losing sleep over that.

During his presentation with the Lakers, he made it clear he's trying to showcase his talents and the work he's put in this offseason to be ready for the league.

"Just showcasing what I've been putting in the work for this whole summer," James said. "It's a lot that I've been doing, getting up early mornings. But, yeah, just going out and being aggressive, being myself, and showcasing what I was doing before my incident, and proving myself to the doubters."

LeBron will try to have another chance to compete for the NBA championship next season. The Lakers brought in JJ Redick as the new head coach and drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James for the present and the future.

Bronny knows plenty of eyes are on him, but he's made it clear he'll try to be himself and shut down the criticism.

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