Lakers News: Bronny James Unpacks Scoring First Career Points in NBA

Matt Levine | Oct 31, 2024

In the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, rookie guard Bronny James scored his first career points in the NBA. He played in five minutes of game action and finally found the bottom of the net.

He finished the game by scoring two points, dishing out two assists, and grabbing one steal. While it wasn't a big statistical output for James, it was a special moment indeed.

Being from the city of Cleveland, it was memorable for him to score his first career points on the court. James spoke after the game and reflected on his moment.

"It was insane," Bronny said of the reception after finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in five minutes. "Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it's all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here. Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure."

He grew up in Cleveland while his dad played for the Cavaliers. Coming back to this city has always been special for the James family and the Cavaliers' fans were chanting Bronny's name midway through the third quarter of the game.

His dad, LeBron James, also weighed in on his son's accomplishment after the fact.

"He's better than I would have been in that situation -- 20,000 fans screaming my name to get in the game and wanting me to be in the game, and if the role's reversed, I don't know if I would have been able to handle it," said LeBron, who scored 26 points but had six turnovers as he lost in Cleveland as an opponent for only the third time in 12 games. "To see him get his first NBA basket in this arena where he grew up not too far away from here, it's an unbelievable moment. An unbelievable moment for him, first of all. For our family. It's just pretty cool to be a part of it."

Bronny is expected to stay with the Lakers through the team's road trip before he is sent down to the G-League to develop his game a little more. However, this was a cool moment for all and now everyone can focus on the remainder of the season.

More Lakers: League Acknowledges Refs Missed Crucial Call Late in Suns Defeat