LeBron James watching Bronny from afar amid Olympic preparations: ‘He has so much room to grow’

LONDON — Bronny James’ best NBA Summer League game unfolded in the middle of the night in the United Kingdom, where his proud father and Team USA point forward LeBron James was watching.

“As a family, obviously we’re just proud of the fact that he’s even at this point,” LeBron said Friday in London, where Team USA will practice and play over the next six days.

Bronny, 19, scored 13 points for the Los Angeles Lakers summer league team in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night in Las Vegas. He scored 12 points Wednesday while LeBron and Team USA were still in Abu Dhabi — an 11-hour time difference from Las Vegas. The elder James conducted his personal workouts at the team resort early in the mornings in the Middle East, and was therefore free to watch Bronny, so long as the Americans weren’t practicing during a Lakers game.

Dalton Knecht and Bronny James’ strong outings lead the @Lakers to their 2nd win in Las Vegas!

Knecht: 20 PTS | 7 REB
James: 13 PTS | 5 REB | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/hq7VqfepQt

— NBA (@NBA) July 19, 2024

The Americans were still holding training camp in Vegas and were playing the exhibition opener against Canada when Bronny and the Lakers arrived.

“It doesn’t matter if he plays well, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well,” his NBA star father said at the time.

Maybe he knew it, but James was providing a little cover for his son, whose first three summer league games were not strong. His son entered Thursday shooting about 29 percent from the field.

GO DEEPER

Lakers not worried about Bronny James’ summer struggles: ‘He’s trying to find his way’

“I mean, he’s 19 years old, so he has so much room to grow,” LeBron said Friday. “He has so much more to learn, but the best thing, he just keeps his head down and just stays focused.

“So the best will continue to come as he continues to work and continues to get better and better.”

The elder James is playing in his fourth Olympics and is seeking his third gold medal. He is Team USA’s all-time assists leader, in addition to being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. In three exhibition games this summer, LeBron is averaging 9.3 points and 2.7 assists. He is shooting 50 percent from the field in a starting lineup that includes Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid.

“I’m just blown away by his effort and concentration and focus on every single drill,” USA coach Steve Kerr said of LeBron. “The guy is incredible and I mean I’ve known that forever, but to see it up close is pretty special.”