Bronny James had ‘Butterflies’ ahead of LA Lakers debut

Even as the son of a basketball legend Le Bron James, Bronnie James still had “butterflies” before his first professional basketball game.

Bronny, 19, made his NBA debut playing for the Los Angeles Lakers when they faced the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, July 6, and in a post-game interview he said he felt a bit of nervous and excited energy beforehand. .

“Every first game where I step into the next level, there are always butterflies in my stomach,” James, who was drafted by the Lakers last week, said in the clamp shared by Bleacher Report.

Those flutters didn’t last long, though. Once the game’s starting ball is over and everything gets going, James says, “It all goes away and I just play basketball.”

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“It’ll always be there, but you know, [I] get through it,” he adds.

During Saturday’s game, James collected a total of 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal with 22 minutes of playing time, per ESPN.

Saturday’s showdown was the first professional-level matchup for Bronny, the son of NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, since he was drafted by the LA Lakers with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday, June. 27. The choice made LeBron, 39, and his son the first official father-son duo to play in the league at the same time. Moreover, the pair will also play for the same team.

After the draft, critics raised questions about nepotism, but the Lakers head coach JJ Redick shot down the accusations.

“Bronny earned this,” the 40-year-old Redick said at a team news conference earlier this month.

Bronny signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers on Wednesday, July 3. Earlier that day, LeBron also reportedly agreed to a two-year, $102 million deal with the team. LeBron’s contract includes a player option for the 2025-26 season, allowing him to decide next offseason whether he wants to stay with the team.

Prior to his NBA debut, Bronny played basketball at the University of Southern California. His career there was briefly halted when he underwent surgery to correct an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” after collapsing and going into cardiac arrest during a practice session in July 2023.

Bronny is the eldest son of LeBron and his wife Savannah Jameswho exchanged “I do’s” in September 2013. The couple are also parents to a son Bryce17, and daughter Zhuri9.