LAS VEGAS -- On the first play of the game, Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James curled off a screen and sank a 17-foot pull-up jumper, drawing roars from the Lakers-friendly crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center.
That shot also offered some much-needed relief for James, the 55th overall pick in the 2024 draft who had struggled in his first four summer league games, averaging 4.3 points with a 22.6% field goal percentage, including missing all 15 of his 3-point attempts.
The struggles for the son of LeBron James came under the enormous weight of attention that his play has drawn in two games in the California Classic in San Francisco and throughout the Lakers' first three games in Las Vegas, with his every move being scrutinized and the crowd groaning every time he missed a shot or passed the ball.
On Wednesday, the Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 87-86 to earn their first summer league victory in 2024, snapping an 0-5 start. And the younger James played his best game yet, finishing with 12 points -- 9 in the first half -- on 5-of-11 shooting, including sinking 2 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc. James also sank a clutch 3-pointer late in the game to tie the score, and the Lakers clinched the win with a defensive stop in the final seconds.
"I feel like I know the right way to play," James said. "So if I go out there and play my game every game, results like that will come."
In a way, it serves as the first NBA win of any kind for the 19-year-old James.
"My mom, my dad really help me, encouraging me to stay focused and keep being myself," James said, calling his parents his support system. "So I feel like that's a big part of how I came out [tonight]."
He also noted that his father is watching from overseas while with Team USA and that the elder James has offered advice.
"'Just stay aggressive,'" James said his father told him. "Even though my shot hasn't been falling, just staying aggressive."
James acknowledged the crowd's presence and overall impact, and he said he has leaned on his family even more, adding that he's "just trying to stay sane."
"It's something," he said with a smile of all the attention, "but it's something I've got to deal with if I'm going to play at this level."
Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick by the Hawks, sat out the game, as did the Lakers' first-round draft pick Dalton Knecht.
Lakers center Colin Castleton led the team with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. He praised how James has handled the outsized scrutiny throughout summer league.
"I think he's stepping into a good role," Castleton said. "It takes a little bit of time. He has a lot of pressure, a lot of things on him. So he has a great mindset. He's a great kid, great teammate, and we love being around him. Everybody in the organization loves being around him and he took great shots tonight and just got a good rhythm. So that was the biggest thing for him. Getting a good rhythm, but he's dealing with the pressure."
James' performance followed the Lakers' summer league loss to Boston on Monday, during which Celtics star Jaylen Brown was sitting courtside and was captured on a viral social media post appearing to say the words, "I don't think Bronny's a pro" to WNBA players Kysre Gondrezick and Angel Reese, who were seated next to him.
Brown tried to clarify the viral video in a social media post on X, writing, "It's a flex to have your son alongside you in the NBA. It reflects greatness and longevity! Bronny has all the tools around him to be successful. I look forward to watching his growth."
Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports and the agent for both LeBron and Bronny James, responded to the viral video of Brown in an appearance Wednesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN.
"You can't take everybody's opinion and try to turn it against him or think that he's a bad person," Paul said, adding, "At least [Brown] is someone who is actually in the league. There's a lot of 'experts' with no expertise; he's actually an expert with expertise. So, if he has that opinion, he can have that opinion. I know Jaylen. I know he doesn't mean that with any malice. He was just having a conversation."
Paul also defended James.
"Look, I think all these guys are in development," Paul said. "Bronny is no different. He doesn't get to be excluded from having to develop. Obviously, I know he wants to make shots and he will make shots, but again, it's just about building great habits. I think the opportunity for Bronny to play at the league level would be on a defensive end, and that's something that he's really good at now.
"The other components of the game, he has to get better at and he will. Look, Bronny is a passion player. He's playing a game of basketball because it's his passion. And so I don't look at summer league as the end all be all, whether he was averaging 30 [points] or whether he was averaging 3."
"My mom, my dad really help me, encouraging me to stay focused and keep being myself. So I feel like that's a big part of how I came out [tonight]."Bronny James
Dane Johnson, the Lakers' summer league coach, believed James' performance would only boost his confidence and reiterated the team's faith in his shooting.
"He had those same shots previously, and he just missed them," Johnson said. "So, we're going to encourage him to keep taking those."
Johnson added later, "If he's open and we have an open catch-and-shoot [shot], we want him to shoot those, along with everybody else. Open catch-and-shoot 3s is what we're looking for. Even if you're not making them, believe in yourself, have confidence in yourself."
After the game, James was asked about playing with his father this coming season.
"Yeah, I mean, it's a big step for both of us," he said. "I feel like playing together [and] going to work together every day is just going to build on the relationship we already have. Build that connection, maybe even stronger. But I'm excited to get to work with my dad."
What is James looking forward to most?
"Going against each other in practice," he said with a smile.
The Lakers have two scheduled summer league games remaining in Las Vegas: Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.