Bronny James Enters Rare Lakers Territory With Magic Johnson

Bronny James led the Los Angeles Lakers with 17 points on 70 percent shooting Thursday night.

Mar 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) inbound the ball in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Bronny James has received abundant criticism since being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Perhaps his latest numbers will alleviate some outside commentary for the time being.

James had 17 points on 70 percent shooting with five assists and three rebounds in the Thursday night loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He became the youngest Lakers rookie since Magic Johnson to put up these statistics.

Bronny James tonight:

17 PTS
5 AST
70% FG

The youngest Lakers rookie to reach these numbers in a game since Magic Johnson (1979). pic.twitter.com/cZ1LonoesC

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) March 21, 2025

James and fellow rookie forward Dalton Knecht led the team in scoring despite the blowout loss.

James is averaging 2.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists this season. Some have criticized his draft selection, believing he is receiving preferential treatment from his father, NBA legend LeBron James.

Lakers coach J.J. Redick commends the rookie for dealing with the backlash all year.

"Since day one, I've just been impressed with the person that he is," Redick said in the postgame presser. "To deal with bull**** because of who his dad is, just keep a level head about it, and be a class act says a lot about him. It says a lot about that family and the way LeBron and Savannah raised him. It was obvious to me from the moment I started spending time with him on the court this summer. He was certainly going to be an NBA player, and I still believe that he'll be an NBA player."

The Lakers play the Chicago Bulls (30-40) Saturday night.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Back in the Day NBA. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.