INIDANAPOLIS — LeBron James has rarely needed to ask which “James” that Lakers coach JJ Redick was calling to enter the game.
“Me or Bronny?” LeBron James appeared to yell from the bench, asking clarification in Indiana on Wednesday night.
The 41-year-old star shouted once more.
“Me or Bronny?” he said.
And that was when LeBron James realized: Up 18 points with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter of [the Lakers’ 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/03/25/luka-doncic-scores-43-as-lakers-start-fast-beat-pacers-to-finish-5-1-trip/), he was asking the wrong question. Father and son checked in together at the scorer’s table. LeBron James’ smile widened as he followed his son into the game at the official’s whistle, a game that marked just the second time they’d played together in the 2025-26 season.
Bronny James said, however, that the moment is now all in a day’s work. Yes, his dad, arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, is his teammate, but Bronny James is attempting to carve out a role in the league and prove to the naysayers who decry nepotism over his fully guaranteed contract that he deserves to be on the court.
“I’m not really thinking about it,” Bronny James said. “Just thinking about what I can do to impact the game and pull out a win. I’ve been around him and basketball at the same time for a while now, so it’s not that special. The first couple times were of course, but it’s my second year now. And I’m just trying to prove myself and get better as a player.”
Adrenaline wasn’t pumping through Bronny James’ veins when the coaching staff told him that the Lakers, who were missing Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, needed him for rotation minutes against the Pacers on Wednesday night, he said. Mostly playing garbage time minutes for the Lakers, or the occasional start when injuries depleted the game-day roster, Bronny James stepped into rotation minutes in Indiana.
“To be honest, I think I was trying to calm myself down more than having adrenaline,” said Bronny James, who has played in 33 games for the Lakers this season. “Just trying to relax myself.”
While his more experienced teammates may have been running on fumes by the end of their six-game trip – Doncic said after the game that “everyone was a little bit tired” – Bronny James brought fresh legs off the bench, weaving into increased playing time in place of his ailing teammates that the Lakers (47-26) deemed inactive before the game.
Redick shouted out Bronny James for his efforts against Indiana after the game, lauding his defensive intensity – often being switched onto Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, and holding his own – along with a late mid-range jumper that quelled concerns of a once-improbable Indiana comeback.
“Obviously he’s a real quick, athletic player, and it really shows on the defensive end,” Jaxson Hayes said Wednesday night. “And I thought he did great today. … He had a bunch of other deflections, and he was just stopping guys.”
The 6-foot-2 guard finished with four points on 2-for-4 shooting, two steals and a rebound, assist and block in 14 minutes, the second-most minutes off the bench for the Lakers on Wednesday.
“He’s gotten significantly better,” Redick said. “I know our staff has a lot of confidence in him. … I think the biggest thing with him is he’s got a lot of confidence right now. And I know he didn’t make his three tonight, but he’s got a lot of confidence in his shot right now. He’s having a fantastic season with South Bay.”
Bronny James has been one of the better backcourt options across the G-League during the 2025-26 season. In 12 regular season games with the South Bay Lakers, the former USC standout has recorded 15.3 points per game while shooting 54.6% from the field, 42.1% from 3-point range and 90.9% from the free-throw line.
Redick said that he, along with South Bay Lakers Coach Zach Guthrie and Lakers assistant coach Ty Abbott, have coordinated game plans for when they send players to develop and earn starting minutes at the NBA’s minor-league level.
“He’s been arguably the best player for like, the last three or four weeks in our stay-ready games every single time,” Redick said of the team’s scrimmages at practices for lower-minute players. “He’s just, he’s got a bounce to his step right now. I think that just comes from, from developing that confidence.”
For Bronny James, building confidence through performances in El Segundo has allowed him to parlay his skill set into playing alongside the likes of his dad, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic like he did Wednesday. Bronny James said he’d been trying to make the most of his minutes in the G-League, and now it’s paying off.
“I like to go down there and play my game and be as aggressive as I can,” Bronny James said, “so that when I get these minutes up here that I’m comfortable playing with Luka, Bron, AR and everyone else.”
#### Brooklyn at Lakers
**When:** 7:30 p.m. Friday
**Where:** Crypto.com Arena
**TV/radio:** Spectrum SportsNet/ESPN LA 710, 980 KFWB