Bronny cold in Lakers' preseason debut; Redick praises growth - ESPN

PALM DESERT, Calif. — Three days shy of a year after Bronny James made his preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in this desert arena, the NBA's most famous son resumed his quest to show he belongs in the big leagues.

Though his 1-for-12 shooting performance in the Lakers' opener wasn't ideal, James felt his effort Friday night was another step forward in a process that's already showing results to coach JJ Redick.

Bronny James scored eight points while LeBron James and Luka Doncic sat out of the Lakers' 103-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Bronny's 40-year-old father is progressing deliberately in his return from a minor nerve injury to begin his record 23rd NBA season, while Doncic is also ramping up with caution after his busy summer playing for Slovenia at EuroBasket.

That left plenty of playing time in the Coachella Valley for depth players like Bronny James, who hit a 3-pointer late in the third quarter for his only field goal. He missed his other seven 3-point attempts while struggling for buckets alongside fellow 2024 draft pick Dalton Knecht, who was 2-for-10 with 1-for-7 shooting from distance.

«I felt like they were pretty good shots,» said Bronny James, who turns 21 on Monday. «Not rushed, not forcing anything. Didn't have my legs under me as much as I wanted to, so a lot of them were short, but most of them were on line. I felt like I could have made those. I felt like I took some good shots.»

Bronny's confidence was undiminished by those misses after the Lakers opened their preseason in the same arena where Bronny James first played alongside his famous father in October 2024.

The Palm Springs-area fans who rumbled with anticipation whenever Bronny touched the ball a year ago didn't react much this time.