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Bronny James steals ball, finishes with electrifying dunk vs. Miami Heat

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs07/06/25grant_grubbs_
Bronny James
© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Bronny James is bringing the heat in his second run through the NBA Summer League. On Sunday, James threw down a monstrous slam on the fast break for the Lakers’ first points of the game against the Miami Heat.

James had a rollercoaster of a rookie year in the NBA after the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. James played in 27 games for the Lakers, averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

While James wasn’t ready to be a full-time contributor for the Lakers, he made strides in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. James averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in 11 G League appearances.

With a year of experience now under his belt, Bronny James is hopeful to be a standout for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League. He explained his excitement for his sophomore effort in an interview with Los Angeles Times reporter Broderick Turner.

“It’s definitely some more excitement than nervousness, for sure,” James said. “I’m just ready to go out there and play and be better than I was the last time I was playing.

“Just having that mindset of being ready to play and ready for whatever’s thrown at me, no matter the role, what I gotta do on defense, offense, everything. Being a good teammate for my new summer league team, stuff like that.”

Despite any struggles James had last season, the Lakers don’t plan on giving up on him. Last year, Lakers head coach JJ Redick explained his confidence in James’ future on the hardwood.

“He’s obviously case study No. 1. He’s going to be a big part of what we do in our player development program,” Redick said. “We’re going to invest heavily in him. He’s got to fall in love with that process and let go of outcomes.

“He had a heart procedure last year, up and down freshman year obviously. Going through the pre-draft process, there’s a there’s a conditioning element to being able to play that way defensively. But overall, we like what we’ve seen in practice.”

Bronny James will have no shortage of opportunities to show off his improvement this summer. All eyes will be on James, especially since Lakers second-round pick Adou Thiero isn’t playing in the Summer League due to a knee injury.