Chet Holmgren Sends Simple Message to Bronny James’s Critics After Lakers Win

Kristen Wong | Jul 19, 2024

Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren made his opinion on Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James extremely clear this week.

After James put up his second-straight impressive performance in the Lakers’ summer league victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Holmgren took to social media to praise the second-round pick.

Holmgren retweeted a post of James’s stats from the game and wrote, “Looked like a pro.”

Looked like a pro

— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) July 19, 2024

James finished with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the Lakers’ 93-89 win.

Holmgren’s four-word message sparked debate over whether he was taking a subtle dig at Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who went viral for his blunt assessment of James at a summer league game earlier this week. Lip-readers caught Brown appearing to say he didn’t think James was a “pro.”

However, Holmgren insisted he was not, in fact, throwing shade at Brown. 

James has gone 10-of-21 from the field for 25 points in his last two combined showings, a significant improvement given the former Trojan guard’s lackluster NBA debut. James and the Lakers will play their final summer league game in Las Vegas against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.