Bronny James Spoke About Dealing With The ‘Amplified’ Pressures Of Playing With His Dad

Bronny James officially made his debut as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, as he and first round pick Dalton Knecht met with the media alongside GM Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick. James will reportedly sign a multi-year guaranteed deal with the Lakers to be part of the team’s complete roster, and unsurprisingly many of the questions he faced at his intro presser focused on him playing with his father, LeBron James.

Bronny noted that he “never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad,” and said it wasn’t a “main focus” as he went through the Draft process.

He later was asked about the pressure placed on him because of his name and the fact that he’s now playing with LeBron, and he noted that he’s seen all of it, with people saying he doesn’t deserve his place. He also pointed out that it’s nothing new and that he’s dealt with it all of his life, although it is “amplified” now that he’s in the league.

After his presser, Bronny sat down with the Spectrum Sportsnet crew and talked about his upcoming appearances in Summer League, as the plan is for him to play the Cali Classic in San Francisco and then in Las Vegas, and Bronny noted he wants to showcase his skillset and “proving myself to the doubters.”

He’ll get his first chance to do that on Saturday, July 6 when the Lakers face the Kings at 1:30 p.m. PT on the first day of the Cali Classic. His Las Vegas Summer League debut figures to be Friday, July 12 when the Lakers play the Rockets at 4:30 p.m. PT.