With his father mysteriously absent from the Los Angeles Lakers this week, LeBron James Jr. is shining. suddenly in front of the team’s G League affiliate in El Segundo, California.
Bronny, as the second-round draft pick is known, dropped 30 points in the South Bay Lakers’ win over the Valley Suns in Tempe, Arizona, in an eye-popping highlight on Thursday.
USC’s rookie guard threw down an alley-oop in the first quarter, scored an impressive mid-range pull-up and converted a driving layup from a seemingly impossible angle. He also made three of nine three-point attempts, which isn’t surprising but represents an improvement for someone who has struggled with outside shooting.
But most importantly, Bronny played with confidence in perhaps his best performance since leaving LA’s Sierra Canyon School in 2023.
Remember, Bronny went into cardiac arrest in July 2023 due to a congenital heart defect, delaying his college debut with the Trojans until December 10 of last year. Even then, the younger James struggled to find his rhythm at the NCAA level, where he averaged just 4.8 points over 25 games.
And since being taken by his father’s Lakers last June — a move many critics have derided as nepotism — Bronny has been a non-factor at the NBA level. Over seven games, Bronny averaged 0.6 points and 0.3 assists in just 2.6 minutes per night.
Bronny James of the South Bay Lakers dribbles the ball against the Valley Suns on Thursday
LeBron James and his son Bronny are seen on the bench during a recent Lakers game
While Bronny is finding his game in the G League, LeBron left the Lakers this week for personal reasons.
“Personal reasons… he’s taking some time,” Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters of LeBron, who has already been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to “soreness in his left foot.”
James has been the subject of trade speculation as the soon-to-be 40-year-old sees his NBA championship window close.
While that could explain his absence, others have baselessly accused LeBron of being somehow linked to the ongoing Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking scandal.
During a press conference this week, MMA fighter Colby Covington referenced a four-year-old clip of James and Combs together.
“Hey, everyone knows, no party is as fun as a Diddy party,” James told Combs in the clip, which went viral in September.
“What does LeBron mean by that? How many Diddy parties has he actually attended?’ Covington asked at a news conference Wednesday.
MMA fighter Colby Covington appeared to call out James for his past ties to Sean Combs
James referenced Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ (R) parties in an Instagram live four years ago
Combs was arrested in Manhattan in September following an investigation into alleged sex trafficking. He is accused of drugging and raping victims as young as nine years old.
Combs, who faces more than 100 sexual assault allegations, is known to have committed the extravagant “freak-offs.”
These parties would culminate in large orgies, sometimes lasting days.
Combs continues to maintain that he was wrongly accused, claiming that the parties, while nasty, were all consensual.
The rapper has been in custody since his arrest in September on charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the help of a network of associates and associates. An indictment accuses him of silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical abuse.
James has not commented on the surfaced video and has not been linked to Combs’ crimes.
James is averaging 23 points, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds so far this season – his 22nd in the NBA.
Redick said he is in constant discussions with both James and his athletic trainer, Mike Mancias, about managing the four-time MVP’s workload.
“In the game he gets asked for a sub a few times because he got gassed,” Redick said. ‘For us we have to be aware of the fact that we are playing more and more matches, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and the Sunday blow with the foot, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest . .’
The NBA legend, pictured with wife Savannah, celebrates his 40th birthday this month
James expressed a desire to play in all 82 games earlier this season, but both he and the Lakers are now practically dealing with the inevitable minor injuries that can occur during any season.
Last month, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer announced in a bizarre post that he would be leaving social media.
“And with that said, I’ll be cheering you all on! Stay off social media for a while. Take care,” he said in the post, which included a peace sign and crown emoji.
James posted the farewell to his 159 million followers on Instagram and 52.9 million on X in response to a message from Rich Kleinman, Kevin Durant’s longtime manager.
He shared a screenshot of a lengthy X-post from the NBA agent, written on October 24, condemning the negativity in sports coverage.
‘We can all recognize that sport is the last part of society that universally brings people together. So why can’t coverage do the same? It’s only clickbait if you say it,” Kleiman wrote at the time.
“If the platform is that big, you can make the change and let us all escape the negativity in real life. I think it’s all a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ (Redick) and Bron’s show were the future of what this all can and should be.”
‘AMEN!!’ James posted a message, along with a greeting emoji.