Bronny James had an improved Summer League showing Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie scored 12 points in an 87-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
After previously missing his first 15 three-point attempts, James converted two of five shots from deep and added a steal during his 24 minutes. The victory snapped the Lakers’ 0-5 Summer League start.
Before cementing his first win, James experienced another first when receiving a technical foul. The No. 55 pick disagreed with the referee’s ruling that a ball went off his leg before going out of bounds, giving Atlanta possession.
James received the technical after turning around to share some words with the official.
Bronny James picked up a technical foul after this drive 🤔 pic.twitter.com/IoNXtkhXMO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 18, 2024
Of course, getting one technical foul in a game that doesn’t count isn’t really a big deal. Bronny shrugging and arguing his case isn’t exactly akin to Draymond Green hitting LeBron James in the groin during the 2016 NBA Finals.
During ESPN’s on-court interview, James said it felt “really good” to finally make a three-pointer and secure a “good outcome.” The 19-year-old explained his mentality entering the game.
“Just tried to forget about all the shots I missed, forget about all the games we lost,” James said. “Just come out and play my game and try to do my best every time I come on the court. That’s what I did tonight, and it ended up well.”
Per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, Bronny said LeBron told him to “just stay aggressive” amid his shooting slump. He credited his parents for keeping him on the right track.
“My mom, my dad really help me, encouraging me to stay focused and keep being myself,” James said. “So I feel like that’s a big part of how I came out.”
Related: Rachel Nichols Hasn’t Been Happy With The Treatment Of Bronny James