Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James was able to temporarily silence many of his doubters on Thursday night in the team's blowout loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With both LeBron James and Luka Doncic out for the night, the Lakers struggled to get anything positive going. However, there was one shining positive from the loss.
James came off the bench to play 30 minutes against the Bucks. He scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting, knocking down two of his four three-point attempts. Also, he was able to record five assists, three rebounds, and a block in the loss.
At least for the moment, James has made it clear that he can play at the NBA level.
Following his big outing, even Stephen A. Smith admitted that he might have been wrong about James.
"I might have been wrong. Are you listening LeBron James? Are you listening James family? Are you listening Rich Paul?," Smith said. "I've always believed that this kid has the potential, once I watched him, to be in the NBA."
Another big name to come out after James' performance is Gilbert Arenas. The former NBA All-Star has been very vocal with his support about the son of LeBron.
Arenas did not hold back from calling out how the media has covered Bronny.
"There was a narrative that he's not even good enough for the G League, then he started dominating, and now they're quiet," he said.
Gilbert Arenas calls out the media for its hypocrisy toward Bronny James
"There was a narrative that he's not even good enough for the G League, then he started dominating, and now they're quiet."
( @GilsArenaShow )
pic.twitter.com/VF9fprtoNr
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 21, 2025
Next up for the Lakers will be a Saturday night matchup at home against the Chicago Bulls.
Related: Stephen A. Smith Delivers New Message to LeBron James About Bronny James
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:56 PM.