Bronny James has been widely scrutinized during his first season as an NBA player. His younger brother, Bryce, won a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) hoops title on Friday, with their father, LeBron James, in attendance.
After Bryce's Sierra Canyon crew downed Stockton Lincoln 58-53 in the CIF Division I title game, he was asked whether he had bragging rights over Bronny, who never won a state crown. Neither did their father, which is worth noting.
"He definitely should've had one," Bryce James said of Bronny. "I'd still say it's one and one. It's one and one."
Bronny has been criticized since entering the league as a second-round draft pick last summer. As of Saturday night, he'd played in 19 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging a meager 1.6 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game. He's shooting 25% from the field.
"The expectations for Bronny by the fan base and by LeBron and Rich Paul are not commensurate with the reality of his game," one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN's Baxter Holmes in October. "If they had any real idea of how far away Bronny is, they just would not have done this."
Bryce, meanwhile, had three points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists in just over 25 minutes on the court. He'll play basketball at the University of Arizona next year.
"Like his older brother Bronny, he's under the microscope," 247 Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote of Bryce in a report. "Bryce needs to be given time and space to run his own race though. He may not be the dynamic athlete or playmaker some expect at first, but he is a fundamentally sound player with solid perimeter size and a good early skill-set."
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This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM.