Bronny James comes into Year 3 of his NBA career with the specter of LeBron James’ shadow looming. He will now be the lone James on the Los Angeles Lakers roster and enters a pivotal season when development and usage will be lingering questions.
As LeBron heads east, joining the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers, Bronny will for the first time test the NBA landscape without his dad in the locker room. The decision to part ways with the Lakers ignited ongoing speculation that the father-son tandem might be a package deal. And, the possibility that L.A. might trade Bronny continued to be a talking point.
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During a radio appearance on the Brock and Alex Show on 97.1 The Fan LA in July, California Post reporter Khobi Price, spoke about James’ situation in the wake of LeBron going to the 76ers.
“Now, what I want to make clear is that the Lakers are more than happy to keep Bronny James,” Price reported on the show.
“They’ve drafted him in the second round two years ago. They developed him. They’re a fan of him. He has a lot of people who like him within the building,” Price continued.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 26, 2026.
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets during Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 26, 2026.
(Troy Taormina, Imagn Images)
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LeBron James holds his son, Bronny, after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 98-82 win against the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on June 2, 2007.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James walks with his wife, Savannah, and sons, Bronny and Bryce, during the LeBron James Family Foundation Reunion and Rally at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio, on Aug. 8, 2014.
(Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny James throws beads while accompanying his dad, LeBron James, during the Cavaliers’ parade for winning the 2016 NBA Finals title in downtown Cleveland on June 22, 2016.
(David Richard, USA TODAY Sports)
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Lakers star LeBron James, right, celebrates with his son, Bronny, after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Thunder at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2023.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny and Bryce James, sons of LeBron James, attend a game between the Bucks and Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2023.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)
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Sierra Canyon guard Bronny James warms up before playing Millennium High (Arizona) during a Hoophall West game at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Dec. 7, 2019.
(Rob Schumacher, The Arizona Republic)
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From left to right, Phil Knight, Bryce James and Bronny James look on during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2023.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James poses for a picture with his family at the end of the game during which James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 7, 2023. With James, from left to right: Bronny James, Bryce James, Zhuri James, Savannah James and Gloria James.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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McDonald’s All American West guard Bronny James soars for a dunk during the Powerade Jam Fest at Delmar Athletic Complex.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny James of the West team reacts after sinking a 3-point shot during the 2023 McDonald’s High School Boys All-American Game at Toyota Center in Houston on March 28, 2023.
(Alex Bierens de Haan, Getty Images)
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McDonald’s All American West guard Bronny James (6) warms up prior to the game against the McDonald’s All American East at Toyota Center in Houston on March 28, 2023.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
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McDonald’s All American West guard Bronny James (6) waits to enter the game during the first half against the McDonald’s All American East at Toyota Center in Houston on March 28, 2023.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny James of the West team is introduced prior to the 2023 McDonald’s High School Boys All-American Game at Toyota Center in Houston on March 28, 2023.
(Alex Bierens de Haan, Getty Images)
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Ronald McDonald reacts as West guard Bronny James (6) enters the court prior to the McDonald’s All American Boy’s high school basketball game at Toyota Center in Houston.
(Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)
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McDonald’s All American West guard Bronny James (6) speaks with his father, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, after the game against the McDonald’s All American East at Toyota Center in Houston.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
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McDonald’s All American West guard Bronny James (6) reacts during the second half against the McDonald’s All American East at Toyota Center in Houston.
(Maria Lysaker, USA TODAY Sports)
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West players (from left) Jared McCain, Bronny James and Ron Holland II during the McDonald’s All American Boys high school basketball game at Toyota Center in Houston.
(Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) takes a shot during warm-ups before a 2023 game against the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena.
(John Reed, USA TODAY Sports)
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USC Trojans player Bronny James (6) dunks the ball during warmups as the Auburn Tigers take on the USC Trojans at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Dec. 17, 2023.
(Jake Crandall, USA TODAY Network)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) in a team huddle during a timeout in the first half of a December 2023 game against the Long Beach State 49ers at Galen Center.
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James uses his mobile phone to capture his son, USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6), enter the game against Long Beach State 49ers at Galen Center in December 2023. It was James’ first game after suffering a heart attack four months prior.
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (center) cheers from the bench during the first half of a November 2023 game against the Oklahoma Sooners at LionTree Arena.
(Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY Sports)
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Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James reacts against the California Golden Bears in the first half of a Jan. 3, 2024 game at Galen Center.
(Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) before the Jan. 13, 2024 game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center.
(Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports)
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Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) rebounds the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half of the Jan. 27, 2024 game at Galen Center.
(Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
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Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) and UCLA Bruins forward Devin Williams (22) battle for the ball in the first half at Galen Center.
(Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) shoots the ball over Oregon Ducks guard Jermaine Couisnard (5) during the first half of a Feb. 1, 2024 game at Galen Center.
(Kiyoshi Mio, USA TODAY Sports)
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USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) dribbles the ball against the California Golden Bears during the second half of a Feb. 7, 2024 game at Haas Pavilion.
(Robert Edwards, USA TODAY Sports)
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Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) looks over during the second half of a Feb. 15, 2024 game against the Utah Utes at Galen Center.
(Alex Gallardo, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny James talks to the media during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena.
(David Banks, USA TODAY Sports)
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Bronny James participates in drills during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena.
(David Banks, USA TODAY Sports)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James goes for a layup during warmups before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center on July 6, 2024.
(Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James reacts after being called for a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Chase Center on July 6, 2024.
(Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James take a selfie with a fan after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center on July 6, 2024.
(Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up with guard Bronny James before the game against the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena on Oct. 15, 2024
(Candice Ward, Imagn Images)
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LeBron James #23 and Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers on defense during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 22, 2024 in Los Angeles.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks is guarded by Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of a 2025 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2025 in Las Vegas.
(Ethan Miller, Getty Images)
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Bronny James and Parker Whitfield attend HBO’s Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on Sept. 28, 2025 in Los Angeles.
(Jesse Grant, Getty Images for HBO)
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Golden State Warriors guard LJ Cryer (18) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) as he drives to the basket during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 12, 2025.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) greets guard Bronny James (9) as Bronny enters the game for LeBron during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 13, 2026.
(Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on Jan. 30, 2026
(Brad Mills, Imagn Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James reacts after a 3-point basket against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on April 12, 2026
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
It’s clear the Lakers are interested in keeping Bronny as a 3-and-D player on the roster. But how might he work his way into a crowded, new-look lineup?
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The stats over his first two seasons certainly tell a tale of a player who has made slow but steady progress both in efficiency and usage. Here is how James has developed across the stat line two years in.
Bronny James Stats
Season
GP
Minutes/Game
FG%
3P%
PTS
2024-25
27
6.7
31.3
28.1
2.3
2025-26
42
8.9
40.9
38.6
2.9
James saw an increase in minutes and games played in his Year 2 campaign. But, he also spent time in the G-League, showing improvement in shooting efficiency there as well.
While his minutes played for the South Bay Lakers decreased from 34.2 to 26.7, he managed to show his growth offensively. Both his field goal and 3-point percentage went up from 44.3% to 56.4% and 38% to 45.6%, respectively. Though it should be noted that his volume decreased in that span, shooting roughly 10 times a game last season compared to the nearly 18 shots he was getting up in his rookie campaign.
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James’ development is certainly reason to be optimistic, but hardly assures minutes during the season. With the additions of Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes and stars Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in the backcourt, James will be hard-pressed to see action on the floor.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bronny James faces pivotal Lakers season without LeBron on roster
