Bronny James wanted to make it clear who came out on top the last time he played his father in golf.
“I won,” James told reporters as he cracked a smile at Los Angeles Lakers media day on Monday, Sept. 28. “He’s pretty pissed about this.”
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It was a quick, lighthearted moment that drew laughs from those in attendance, but it also helped address the elephant in the room: for the first time in his now three-year NBA career, Bronny won’t be sharing a locker room with LeBron James.
“Feels like he’s not here,” James said matter of factly. “I don’t really have an opinion on that. That’s my dad, I spent 22 years, almost, with him. Just another experience that I’m gonna be a part of, and I’m excited to see how it’s gonna feel during the season, too. Looking forward to it.”
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LeBron James left the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer, marking an end to the first father-son duo to ever take the court together in an NBA game after two years as teammates. Bronny James spent much of that time in the G League, but he made a leap in year two last season and cracked the rotation in the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
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Now, with an almost entirely new cast of teammates centered around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, he sees room for even more growth as he sets off on his own path.
“It’s just something that I’ve followed my entire life,” James said. “You guys know me as Bronny, my real name is LeBron. I’ve been doing this for however long, so I think it’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron.”
Bronny James has been focused on trying to be the most consistent version of himself over the offseason. The 21-year-old guard has been showing up every day to work on his dribbling, playmaking and “being relentless” on both ends of the court. He knows versatility is a priority in coach JJ Redick’s new scheme, and his best chance to get minutes is as a secondary ballhandler on offense and a point-of-attack defender when Dončić and Reaves are off the floor.
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He’s also gotten to know his new teammates pretty well, accompanying them on the team’s trip to Slovenia. There, James told reporters, is where he felt the chemistry start to take off.
“We had some runs in practice, figuring out each other’s game and just chilling off the court, getting to know each other,” he said. “… I think that’s going to carry over into the season pretty well.”
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Not only does this year’s Lakers squad look different, they’ll be playing differently than they did in JJ Redick’s first two years as head coach. Redick has already mentioned he’ll be switching up the defensive scheme to more man-on-man with newly acquired Walker Kessler parked near the paint to clean up anything that may come his way. Reaves and several other players also talked about a fast-paced free-flowing offense with less pick-and-roll.
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“Everyone’s young,” James said. “… I feel like we can feed off each other’s energy and there’s gonna be a lot of guys that can go out, give full effort and turn up the game.”
LeBron James, meanwhile, made it clear that he didn’t make his free agency decision – possibly the last one of his 24-year NBA career – lightly, telling reporters in Philadelphia that “I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round. I know that for sure. Work needs to be done, and I’m ready to get to work.”
While he got the blessing of the entire James family, Bronny said it wasn’t cathartic moment by any means.
“We’re men of very little words when it comes to talking about business and what we’re gonna do and how we feel about each other,” James said. “Wasn’t really much, to be honest with you. He’s got his own path and I’ve got my own. … And he knows that I want to focus on that.”
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Those two paths are set to converge once more on Dec. 25, when the Lakers host the the 76ers at Crypto.com Arena in LeBron’s return to Los Angeles.
“I’m excited to see him on Christmas,” Bronny said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bronny James adjusts to Lakers’ life without LeBron: ‘Feels like he’s not here’
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