Bronny James accused of ‘making mockery of NBA’ after embarrassing on-court gaffe – but Lakers fans come to his defense
BRONNY James has made the headlines again – for both the right and wrong reasons.
The 6-foot-2 guard made his second NBA summer league appearance, playing 29 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers' 80-76 loss to the Miami Heat.
Bronny, 19, ended up with three points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks, shooting 1-for-3 from the field in the California Classic matchup.
But the eldest son of Lakers star LeBron James had people talking because of the things that didn't show in the boxscore.
Toward the end of the second quarter, Heat guard Alondes Williams fouled Los Angeles' Blake Hinson.
After the whistle, Bronny – who held the ball in his hands – attempted a practice shot from the right elbow.
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But he badly air-balled it, which got the No. 55 overall pick some heat on social media.
"Honestly this is making a mockery of the NBA," one fan commented.
"Can’t help but to feel bad at this point," another added.
Many others came to Bronny's defense with Lakers fans pointing out that the former University of Southern California guard actually played well.
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James Jr. made an impact on the defensive end with his hustle, athleticism, and feel for the game.
He made it tough even for Miami's big men to get to the basket while registering multiple deflections to disrupt Miami's offense.
And his effort didn't go unnoticed among the Lakers faithful.
"You can’t teach Bronny’s defensive instincts… just an absolute MENACE as a defender," one fan commented on X.
"Just nasty man... nasty agenda. If you actually watch the game Bronny is everywhere on defense," another added.
"People are going to look at the stat line of this Bronny James game and not realize at all the impact he had on defense. Shut everything down on the perimeter," a third said.
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"Mfs who didn’t watch the game gon check the box score and talk s**t about Bronny. Real ones saw the defensive impact though," one wrote.
The Lakers lost all three of their California Classic games.
They will now head to Nevada for the annual Las Vegas Summer League, which tips off on Friday.
Los Angeles takes on the Houston Rockets on Day 1 of the tournament.
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Next, they will face the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers won the Las Vegas Summer League last year.