Bronny James is not ducking the spotlight. He just does not care for it. For the Los Angeles Lakers fans that still trying to fit him into his dad’s mold, it might be time to let that go.
If there is one thing we have learned this summer, it is that Bronny James is not LeBron James. Nor is he is trying to be.
Lakers should be encouraged Bronny is not LeBron
LeBron was built for the lights, literally. From age 16, he was smiling on magazine covers, giving live interviews, playing in national games, and embracing the nickname of “The Chosen One.”
You can tell that he definitely wanted the pressure, as he was able to feed off the noise. The attention made him sharper, and the cameras made him better.
Bronny? Not so much.
“My head is all over the place,” he told ESPN during Summer League. “There’s so much going on in Vegas. I personally don’t like summer league at all. I like the competition and the games, but I don’t like coming to Vegas and being in Vegas… After this, I’m just doing nothing.”
That clearly does not sound like someone chasing center stage. That sounds like someone who just wants to hoop and go home. That kind of transparency is rare in pro sports, especially from a second-year player with one of the most famous last names in the world.
Bronny later went on to state this: “I just think that if you know me, I don’t really like the spotlight in big moments… I’m a chill guy. I don’t like [all that]... I’m not going to go and watch that.”
Those are the kind of quotes that make Bronny so fascinating. He is his own person, and even under the weight of one of the most iconic names in sports history, he is choosing a quieter lane.
Still, with that being said, that does not mean he is not putting in the work. Bronny had a strong Summer League: 14.3 points, nearly 4 assists, good efficiency, and a better feel.
He did such a great job impressing his coaches. So much so that they decided to sit him out during his final summer league game to avoid injury.
Last season was slow for Bronny, bouncing between the Lakers and the G-League in South Bay. He has clearly shown some progress. Now, Bronny has a shot to earn real rotation minutes.
In a league obsessed with superstardom, that kind of patience Bronny is providing is refreshing. He is not LeBron. He is Bronny. And he is finally starting to show us what that really means.