Green Bay HC Doug Gottlieb has a cryptic reaction to Bronny James missing California Classic game because of a left knee swelling

Green Bay Phoenix head coach Doug Gottlieb had a cryptic reaction to the news that Bronny James would miss a California Classic game due to swelling in his left knee.

NBA legend LeBron James' son recently joined the Los Angeles Lakers as the 55th overall pick after one year at USC. He sat out of Sunday's 92-68 loss to Golden State after scoring four points in his Summer League debut the day before.

ESPN reporter Kendra Andrews announced Bronny's absence from the California Classic via X (formerly Twitter). Gottlieb retweeted the post with a cryptic response emoji, hinting at sarcasm or some deeper meaning.

Fox Sports analyst Gottlieb had previously commented on the Lakers drafting Bronny. This was when there was an assumption that he would inevitably join the Lakers as an undrafted free agent.

"You're allowed to draft Bronny James,” Gottlieb said, per Fox Sports. “You're allowed to have nepotism. But to carry on a charade that he was going to go to Australia or that someone else was interested was ridiculous. The part that is embarrassing for the Lakers is - Why did you have to draft him? Nobody was going to draft Bronny James. Everybody knew he was going to LA.”

“It's true, nepotism occurs throughout the NBA, and part of that is a good thing,” Gottlieb added. “But to act like if nepotism occurs elsewhere, then nepotism here is fine, no. Two wrongs don't make a right."

After the injury, Bronny appeared in uniform but with his left leg wrapped during the game, per reports.

Lakers Summer League coach Dane Johnson said they were taking precautionary measures and hoped Bronny would play in the next game.

“The hope is (and) the plan is for him to play the next game here,” Johnson said. “But that’s all the information we have so far.”

Despite the Lakers' 0-2 record, they look ahead to a match against Miami on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (ESPN2) in their final game of the California Classic.

Bronny James’ performance in the Summer League

Bronny James signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. This multiyear guaranteed contract ensured Bronny a spot on LA's official roster.

In the California Classic Summer League game against the Kings, the Lakers lost 108-94. Bronny played 21 minutes, scoring four points, grabbing two rebounds, making two assists and getting one steal. His shooting stats were 2-9 from the field, 0-3 from beyond the arc, and 0-2 from the free-throw line.

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