With oversized headphones in his ears and decked out in full Lakers gold as he prepared for his NBA Summer League debut, rookie Bronie James looked so much like his famous father that it made some at Chase Center do a double-take.
They have familiar mannerisms, facial expressions and even the way they run and wave to defend themselves. Then, Bronie James took his place in the starting lineup for Los Angeles and his career was underway Saturday in style — jersey no. Wearing 9, not to be confused with his dad’s former 6 uniform, which he sported before switching to 23.
The younger James went 2 for four points and scored 9, had a pair of assists, two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes — 21:43, to be exact — and missed all three of his 3s as the Lakers lost. 108-94 for the Sacramento Kings.
James missed his first two shots with nearly six minutes to play in his first drive — grabbing a defensive rebound 1 minute, 20 seconds into the game and then missing a 21-foot jump shot. He hit a 26-foot 3-point attempt with 4:23 left in the opening quarter before taking a breather.
James received cheers and a standing ovation when he returned to the court at the 8:17 mark of the second quarter. He was whistled for his first career foul on Sacramento’s Xavier Snead’s 3-point attempt from the right wing with 7:23 left. James missed a 3 from the front rim from the top of the arc at 7:04.
Then, finally, James scored his first NBA points on a driving layup with 5:51 left before the break. He missed a pair of free throws at the 4:43 mark of the third period in his first trip.
At one point during his warm-up routine, the 6-foot-2 guard stood with his hands on his hips in a similar position to his father, LeBron. And during the game, Son leaned into the corner 3-pointer and clutched his knees as he waited for the offensive line to begin.
LeBron and Brony James are set to make history as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.
Drafted by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the second round out of the University of Southern California, Bronie James started for the Golden State Warriors in his highly anticipated debut in the California Classic at the San Francisco Arena against the Kings.
He will get another chance to play Sunday when the Lakers face the Warriors again at the Chase Center.
If all goes as planned, the 19-year-old James and his dad will become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time — on the same team, no less.
Broney is the eldest son of NBA career scoring leader LeBron. He survived a heart attack last July 24 during an informal team practice at USC. A congenital heart defect. The younger James signed a four-year contract that will pay him $7.9 million.
„It definitely added to the pressure level,” Bronie James said when the Lakers were formally introduced last week. “I’ve already seen people on (social) media, on the internet, talking about (how) I don’t deserve a chance. But I’ve been dealing with things like this all my life. It’s no different. It’s definitely more amplified, but I can get past that.
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”