by Cedric “BIG CED” Thornton
December 26, 2025
The younger James was denied a start because several players were unable to play in a recent game
Los Angeles Lakers future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James may have been behind the team's decision to sign his son Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft. Still, it looks like the team wasn't necessarily behind using the younger James and opted not to use the second-year in a recent game.
According to Lake Show Life, head coach JJ Redick's decision to use Nick Smith Jr. in place of Bronny in a recent game when Luka Dončić and Gabe Vincent were unavailable could be on the line. Although Bronny has signed a guaranteed contract and regularly switches between games in the G League (South Bay Lakers) and sitting on the Lakers' bench, Smith, acquired in September after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets, was chosen over him.
The author suspects that Bronny only plays when the Lakers have a sizable lead and are resting the starters, or when the team is already losing and will lose. That's usually the case when Bronny gets to sit on the bench, unless he's with the South Bay Lakers (where his play this season isn't doing him any favors).
For someone to have a guaranteed contract, the stats don't add up, and there's no reason to assume that they've been given not just a deal, but one that means they have to be paid for it. He is averaging a paltry 1.8 points, with 1.4 assists, 0.6 rebounds and 0.6 steals and shooting 32.4%, including 29.4% from 3-point range, while playing 9 minutes per game in the 16 games he appeared in this season.
Last season in 27 games, those numbers were 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 31.3% from the field, 28.1% from 3-point range. The numbers don't appear to be trending upward, raising doubts that nepotism is the only reason he was selected, given a guaranteed contract and remains with the team.
Even in garbage time, he is unable to pad his stats, which only makes his situation worse in the eyes of basketball fans. With LeBron potentially playing his final season (at least in a Lakers jersey), where would Bronny be if his father is no longer a Laker?
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