Bronny James Struggles In Lakers’ Preseason Debut Against Suns

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, the eldest son of future Hall of Famer LeBron James, disappointed fans in Friday’s 103-81 preseason-opener loss to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert.

Bronny James Held To Under 10 Points

Bronny James was held to just eight points on only 1-of-12 shooting (1-for-8 from 3-point range) at Acrisure Arena. However, he did make 5-of-6 free throws to go with five rebounds and two assists in nearly 23 minutes of action.

“I felt like they were pretty good shots,” said James, who turns 21 on Monday. “Not rushed, not forcing anything. Didn’t have my legs under me as much as I wanted to, so a lot of them were short, but most of them were on line. I felt like I could have made those. I felt like I took some good shots.”

Although James appeared in 27 games for the Lakers during his rookie season, much of his growth came while he was with the Lakers’ G League affiliate, averaging 21.9 points and 5.5 assists.

Bronny James on his 1-for-12 shooting night: “I didn’t rush, wasn’t forcing anything. I didn’t have my legs under me as much as I wanted to so I left a lot of them short.” pic.twitter.com/yfU03lkZYq

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 4, 2025

Despite his struggles in the preseason opener, James has demonstrated progress to Lakers coach JJ Redick.

“He is so much more comfortable and confident as a player,” Redick said of Bronny. “Skill-wise, read-wise, all of those things have improved, but there’s a big difference between improving those things in individual workouts and small group settings, and doing it 5-on-5.

“He’s a totally different player than he was a year ago. I thought the stuff that he did down in the G League last year was huge for him in developing a comfort level in playing at this level.”

Lakers Played Without Luka Doncic, LeBron James

In Friday’s loss, the Lakers also played without Luka Doncic (rest), LeBron James (nerve irritation in his glute), Marcus Smart (left Achilles tendinopathy), Maxi Kleber (quad), and rookie Adou Thiero (left knee swelling).

Fellow 2024 draft pick Dalton Knecht finished 2-for-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from deep.

In addition, newly acquired center Deandre Ayton made his Lakers debut, missing both of his shots, committing four turnovers, grabbing eight rebounds, and scoring just one point off a free throw in 18 minutes.

Bronny James was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 draft out of USC. It came nearly a year after the 6-foot-2 guard suffered cardiac arrest during a workout due to a congenital heart defect.

In the Lakers’ 2024-25 season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he and LeBron became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together.

Per Spotrac, Bronny is slated to make $1.955 million in 2025-26 and $2.29 million in 2026-27. His deal also includes a $2.48 million club option for 2027-28.