Bronny James Turns Heads In NBA Summer League Despite Lakers Loss To Boston Celtics

The Los Angeles Lakers and guard Bronny James took on the Boston Celtics on Thursday night in their fourth game in Las Vegas NBA Summer League. The former USC Trojans guard is having a good summer so far and it continued on Thursday despite the loss. The Lakers lost to the Celtics 87-78 and are now 1-3 in Vegas. Boston improved to 3-1 with the victory.

Los Angeles Lakers Bronny James Boston Celtics Las Vegas NBA Summer League LeBron James Retire Offseason 2025-2026 season — Jul 10, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts to a foul call against Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) in the second quarter of their game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Bronny James led the way for the Lakers and had a game high 18 points on 7/13 shooting. Bronny also had five assists and three rebounds. The only negative for him was his eight turnovers. Bronny did not look for his shot for a majority of the first half, but by the time the second came around he was all-go. He had a pair of and-one finishes at the rim and continuously got to the bucket at will. It was as aggresive as he's been on the offensive end all summer.

The Celtics won behind a balanced offensive attack. They were led by Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Kenny Lofton Jr. Walsh had a team-high 17 points and six rebounds. Gonzalez had 13 points and Lofton did a little bit of everything with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Below Are Live Updates

Fourth Quarter

End of Game: Celtics 87, Lakers 78: Bronny knocks down another shot of the offensive rebound to give him a game high 18 points.

3:03: Celtics 85, Lakers 73: Bronny with another assist right out of the break to Koloko for a dunk. Next possession Bronny goes all the way for a layup and then drives in again on the following trip down to draw a shooting foul.

4:26: Celtics 78, Lakers 67: Bronny starts the quarter on the bench and subs in at the eight minute mark. Misses a left handed layup in the lane. Then a Lofton three gives the Celtics their biggest lead of the night at 74-59. Bronny with a response on a corner three-ball to cut the lead back dwon to 11.

Third Quarter

End of Third: Celtics 65, Lakers 55: Another tough and-one layup by by Bronny. He's really starting to get aggressive on the offensive end, hunting for his shot. Has been turning the ball over too much though. Left the game with a minute to go in the quarter. Looked like his leg was bothering him as he went to the bench.

2:40: Celtics 60, Lakers 50: Bronny knocks down his second floater of the game. Celtics answer with a Walsh dunk and a Lofton three-pointer. Bronny comes back with a nice and-one layup.

5:52: Celtics 48, Lakers 45: Bronny gets his first points of the night on a floater in the lane. Commits third turnover on the pass to the corner. Lakers to the tie game up but Celtics take the the lead right back.

Second Quarter

End of Second: Celtics 40, Lakers 35: Bronny checks back into the game and turns the ball over immediately. He has three assists and two turnovers. Lakers were in a major drought but a couple quick hoops by Steward gets them back within six points after being down 11. Bronny takes first shot of the game in final seconds on a three from the corner, but it rims out.

5:27: Celtics 30, Lakers 26: Hugo Gonzalez has caught fire for the Celtics. He has 10 points on 3/4 shooting and the Celtics take the lead back.

First Quarter

End of First: Lakers 26, Celtics 21: Lakers find a rhythm on offense. Bazley leading the way with eight points. Six Lakers are already on the board.

5:48: Celtics 12, Lakers 9: Bronny assist to Koloko for a dunk to get the scoring going. Knecht then with a three. Celtics answer with a pair of threes of their own. Bronny gets called for an offensive foul in the lane before another assist to Koloko on a dunk. Bronny subs out with a little over six minutes to go in the first.

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Is 2025-2026 LeBron James's Final Season?

Bronny and his dad, LeBron James made history during Bronny’s rookie season in 2024-2025. They became the first ever father-son duo to ever play together in an NBA game.

There has been no shortage of LeBron James storylines this offseason. It started with LeBron opting into the final year of his two-year $101 million contract with the Lakers. However shortly after this, his agent Rich Paul of Clutch Sports put out a statement about how the Lakers and LeBron are on different timelines when it comes to chasing a championship.

The Lakers landed 26-year old superstar Luka Doncic in the trade with there Dallas Mavericks this past February and it was completely changed the outlook of the franchise. The Lakers are no longer in a hurry to win immediately with one of the best players in the world just reaching their prime. LeBron James on the other hand is going to be turning 41-years-old this season and the clock is ticking on his chance to win another championship.

ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin reported this week that this upcoming season for LeBron could be his final one in an NBA uniform.

“I think we have to start thinking about this could be his last year in the league,” McMenamin said.

"I think we have to start thinking about this could be his last year in the league" 💔

- @mcten on Lebron

(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )

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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 16, 2025

If LeBron were to retire it would mark the end of arguably the greatest basketball career ever.