Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has been ruled out of his team’s second game of the California Classic against the Golden State Warriors, scheduled to tip off early Sunday night.
James is reportedly experiencing “minor swelling in his left knee” and will not be able to play on the second day of a back-to-back schedule.
James is expected to be healthy enough to play Wednesday when the Lakers face the Miami Heat in Summer League action.
He made his Lakers debut in Summer League play on Saturday, where he scored his first points in a purple and gold jersey.
During the second quarter of the ‘California Classic’ against the Sacramento Kings, Bronny took a direct pass and put it in the basket.
Bronny James will not play in Sunday’s game against the Warriors as a precaution.
All of this happened while LeBron James was at Team USA’s Olympic camp in Las Vegas. But ‘King James’ managed to see the basket on someone’s phone.
“Come on, man, that’s tough. That’s tough! Let go!” James said as he walked into the practice facility.
Later in the game, Bronny hit another cool shot, sending his defender the wrong way with a behind-the-back dribble for a mid-range jumper that slid through the net.
Unfortunately for him, those were the only two points he managed on the night, as Bronny shot 2 of 9 from the field and 0 of 3 from the 3-point line, while missing two free throws.
He recorded final statistics of four points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 21 minutes of play.
But at that camp, LeBron decided to put everything in perspective, especially considering the heart scare his son suffered last year.
“For me to be able to see my son succeed in the NBA by himself is great,” LeBron said. “It’s always been a dream of his. I’m proud of him for being together. I don’t have words to express it. I mean, the kid has worked so hard to get back to this point, a lot has happened over the last year with him.”
James made his debut with the Lakers on Saturday in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
James shot 2 of 9 from the field and 0 of 3 from the 3-point line, missing two free throws.
LeBron added: “For this to happen less than a year after the incident, for us to be with our friends and family when they announced his name… our family still can’t explain the feeling that we had. He’s a great kid and I’m looking forward to seeing his progress to get better. He’s got a lot of room for improvement, the speed of the game, the physicality of the game.”
He continued: “It doesn’t matter if he plays well or not. I just want him to continue to grow in practice, in film sessions, in individual workouts. You can’t take anything in terms of stats from the California Classic or the (Las Vegas) Summer League. The only thing that matters is that he gets better. He’s behind because he hasn’t really played a full season. Getting better is the only thing that matters.”
Bronny wasn’t the only player who underperformed for the Lakers in their 108-94 loss to the Kings.
First-round draft pick Dalton Knecht struggled with his shot, going 3-for-12 from the field and 1-for-4 from beyond the arc. He finished with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sacramento was led by Adonis Arms and his 32-point, 11-rebound, five-assist night. Off the bench, Antoine Davis scored 20 points.