Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Lakers' Bronny James Reveals His Welcome to the NBA Moment

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Bronny James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. They brought him in to make his dad, 21-time All-Star Lakers forward LeBron James, happy, but also because they think he can be a rotation player at some point.

Unfortunately for James, he had a rough rookie season. He didn't receive much playing time, and didn't perform all that well when he was out there on an NBA court.

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James had a lot to learn as a rookie. He recently talked about his "Welcome to the NBA" moment and how he has learned from that.

Bronny James talks his Welcome to the NBA moment when the Lakers played the 76ers

While speaking to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James recalled the moment he was truly introduced into the world of NBA basketball. It happened when he was matched up against Tyrese Maxey in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

It was the first time he was getting an actual rotation spot, and he did not play well at all. In that game, he finished 0-5 from the field with three turnovers in just 15 minutes of playing time.

Worse, Maxey attacked him on the defensive end. He ended up scoring 43 points, but all of those points weren't scored on James. Still, he learned something that night.

"It was definitely like, 'OK, this is where I stand right now, I need to just be better,'" he said. "I need to get in the gym, get extra shots up, work on my body, work on my IQ, watch film, stuff like that with the coaches. So, it was definitely an eye-opener for me."

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It was an experience that James knew he needed so that he could see where he matched up and how much better he needed to get to make it in this league.

"I don't take it for granted," James said. "It was an experience I definitely should have gone through."

James has taken that experience and learned from it. Now that he approaches his second year in the league, he knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level against the best players in the NBA.

That game was his baptism by fire, and he hopes to come out of it as a better player.