Bronny James Thrives in Lakers Stint

Bronny James has made a name for himself in the NBA, with a successful stint at the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 21-year-old guard was selected No. 55 by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft and has since grappled with playing in the shadow of his father and star teammate LeBron James.

But Bronny has experienced his fair share of ups and downs over his first two seasons, with four-time NBA champion John Salley considering his early career development an undeniable success.

Salley believes the best is yet to come for Bronny, who has gradually shed the narrative that he was only rostered as a result of nepotism.

Bronny struggled to get on the court during his rookie campaign, with limited offensive repertoire often relegating him to garbage time minutes for LA.

The second-rounder closed the 2025-26 regular season strong, capitalizing on key injuries to Lakers backcourt stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.

Bronny followed that up by logging quality minutes early in this year’s postseason, contributing off the bench amid LA’s improbable six-game first-round series victory over the Houston Rockets.

And with LeBron’s future beyond his record-setting 23rd season undecided, some have cast doubt on Bronny’s NBA career beyond his stint by his father’s side.

But Salley envisions the reserve guard’s work ethic keeping him in the league regardless of LeBron’s next move.

Bronny averaged 7.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.5 3-pointers per game, shooting 47.2% overall, including 42.9% from beyond the arc in 17.2 minutes a night across his final six regular-season appearances.

So Bronny is taking steps to improve his game, with Salley reasoning that the way he trains is gonna be different this summer.

John Salley, a long-standing advocate of Bronny, doubled down on his support of the Lakers youngster, hailing him for his steady improvement.

Salley conceded that nepotism likely played a role in Bronny’s initial opportunities in the pros before declaring the storyline a net positive for the league.

The former NBA big man said it didn’t hurt the NBA; it helped, citing the $10 billion sale of the Lakers as an example.

Bronny has benefited from his time in the NBA G League, taking noticeable strides as a playmaker and shooter in Year 2.

And with his development, Bronny is proving himself to be a valuable asset to the Lakers.