Lakers Hall of Famer Weighs in on Bronny James' Official NBA Debut

Bronny made his NBA debut on Tuesday.

Eva Geitheim | Oct 23, 2024

Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James made his NBA debut on Tuesday night in the Lakers 110-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers' second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft most notably made history in his first game, as he and his father, LeBron James, became the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.

Bronny only briefly saw time on the court in the win, earning three minutes of action and recording one rebound during that span.

Former Lakers champion and Hall of Famer shared his take on Bronny's debut after the game on NBA on TNT.

"Great moment, great accomplishment," O'Neal said of Bronny. "Would have loved to see him play more. Now this is over, I think he focuses on getting better. He's not going to be in the starting lineup, probably won't be in that second rotation, but if I'm him, I'm working somehow to get some type of rotation time. Because of his last name, we want him to be great, but like LeBron said, it's 450 of us. It's only a few rookies who have came in and have had a great impact immediately. Known the kid a long time, he works hard and he's willing to learn, I wish him well."

"We want him to be great"

Shaq reacts to Bronny's debut with the @Lakers pic.twitter.com/vKDDmp5rgG
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 23, 2024

Bronny is of course just 20 years old and only played one season of college basketball before opting to enter the NBA Draft. His lone season at USC was also shortened after he suffered cardiac arrest the summer prior to his freshman season. Bronny miraculously recovered from cardiac arrest to play during his freshman season, but still started just six games at USC, averaging 19.3 minutes per game. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for the Trojans.

Compared to his rookie classmate Dalton Knecht, Bronny has not had much time to develop and will need time to get better as a player as Shaq said. Knecht played five seasons of college basketball before entering the NBA, appearing in 154 total games in that time with 113 starts. Knecht saw 16 minutes of playing time during his NBA debut, posting five points, one rebound, and two assists.

Bronny will likely make his way to the G League, where he will hone his skills.