Los Angeles Lakers point guard Bronny James has spent most of his rookie season under intense scrutiny.
James has been heavily criticized for the perceived nepotism that led to the Lakers selecting him 55th overall in the 2024 draft, and the Lakers have been under fire for their decision to have him split his time between the NBA and the South Bay Lakers in the G League.
James tallied a career-high 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in the Lakers' 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday, and then four days later he went off for a career day in the G League.
The 20-year-old rookie totaled 39 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and four assists while shooting 67% from the field and 50% from 3-point range in South Bay's 122-118 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday night.
With his breakout game, James was honored for being the youngest player in the G League to average 20 or more points, five or more rebounds, and five or more assists per game
His performance earned him plenty of praise on social media, and it drew some pretty animated reactions from his parents, Lakers star forward LeBron James and his wife Savannah James.
"SMILE THROUGH IT ALL YOUNG !!! KEEP GOING!!" LeBron wrote.
"Keep smiling 9!!!" Savannah wrote on her Instagram story.
Savannah has been one of Bronny's most vocal supporters since he was drafted - a moment she admitted on the "Everybody's Crazy" podcast last August had her an emotional mess.
"It was just an emotional moment - I watched my boy do something that is…I'm just so proud," Savannah said. "I'm a G, I'm not going to cry this time, I'm going to keep it together. But yeah, that's the craziest thing because I just didn't see it coming."
The recent hot streak Bronny has been on is seemingly a small bit of vindication given his turbulent path to the NBA.
He played in just 25 games at USC during the 2023-24 season after suffering a cardiac arrest that July.
Bronny's long road to recovery led him to falling to the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, and though his development has been a bit of a rocky road, it seems like he's finally finding a rhythm after a disappointing showing in the NBA Summer League.
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This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM.