Inside The Heat

Bronny James Falls Just Short Of Dwyane Wade's Record In Preseason Debut

Shandel Richardson

Oct 4, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Oct 4, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James nearly took down a record held by Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade.

On Friday, James had three blocks in the Lakers' 124-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The only player with more block in a preseason debut was Wade, who had four in 2003.

"As a coaching staff, before the game, as we were kind of going over our rotation matrix, we were talking about Bronny, and he's had some really good days in August and September," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "He's had three really good days this week. We're really happy with his progress."

James is the son of future Hall of Famer LeBron James. He was drafted with the No. 55 pick in June after playing one season at USC. Wade is the greatest player in Heat history, winning three championships. It's too early to say both are on similar paths, but the Lakers were encouraged by James' start.

"He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender," Redick said. "That manifested itself. On the offensive end, he's still figuring out who he is. That's our job as a player development program just to build him in.

"But truthfully, he's so easy to coach. He's got a great soul and just a great energy about him. I like being around him. I'm rooting for him. He's a good player that we're happy to have in our program."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here