Los Angeles Lakers' Bronny James Reveals Offseason Goals For Year Two With LeBron

The Los Angeles Lakers’ season is officially over after a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. With the year over for the Lakers, former USC Trojans guard Bronny James has officially finished his rookie season.

James was drafted with the No. 55 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft. James split his time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers and in the NBA. While James did not play a substantial amount in year one with the Lakers, he has grown as a person and a player.

The former USC Trojans guard was under a lot of pressure in year one despite being a second-round draft pick. Many believed that James was only drafted because of his father, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as the NBA star had made it known for years that he wanted to play with his son, and those goals were achieved.

Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The conversation regarding the rookie guard extended past social media. ESPN's "First Take" host Stephen A. Smith shared his criticism throughout the year as well. The former Trojan talked to Fox Sports about if he felt he was under added pressure and what he would take away from his first season playing professional basketball.

“I was under a lot of pressure,” James said. “It was getting to me a little bit.”

James emphasized that he is going to continue to work through the scrutiny and prove that he belongs in the NBA. He discussed how he deals with not just the added pressure, but all the discussion across the media.

“Keeping my head down and working,” James said about how he is going to block out the criticism.

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“Working is a distraction from everything. I love just coming into the gym and working and talking to my coaches and watching film. All of the stuff that can help me get better every day. It’s a distraction from all of that stuff. So, just going to continue to do that and see where it takes me. It’s going good so far,” James said.

James finished his first season with the Lakers averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and a 31.3 field goal percentage. He averaged just 6.7 minutes but earned his first start in the final game of the regular season.

Despite the heavy criticism surrounding James all season, he discussed what it was like to play with his father.

Mar 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) passes against Milwaukee Bucks forward Pete Nance (35) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

“It’s a blessing,” James said. “Being able to learn from him, not only as a player but as a dad. It’s a different type of relationship. I try to take full advantage of it because it’s something a lot of people can’t have. It was an amazing experience.”

James saw the court in just two games during the Lakers’ playoff run, and it was not substantial. He played four minutes in game one and one minute in game three.

In the offseason, James will return to the Las Vegas Summer League. It will give him the chance to earn reps and develop heading into year two of the season. James saw success when earning consistent playing time in the G League, and looking for additional practice this summer.

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