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Lakers pull surprise move with Bronny James at Summer League

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 12:33 AM ET

The Bronny James spectacle only took until the first day of NBA Summer League to start up again.

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled a surprise move with their sophomore guard Bronny for Saturday’s Summer League opener at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. Bronny, who was originally expected to play, instead became a late scratch for the game, which was the California Classic against the Golden State Warriors.

Images circulated online of Bronny showing up to the arena dressed in street clothes.

Bronny James is not be playing today as the Lakers start their Summer League campaign in the California Classic against the Warriors

(via @_MatthewPeralta)

pic.twitter.com/eYo1DYUxLH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 5, 2025

It is customary for rookie and sophomore players to suit up in NBA Summer League and work on their respective games. That much is especially true for players like Bronny, a late second-round pick who only averaged 2.3 points and 0.8 assists per game for the Lakers last season.

The Lakers went on to lose to the Warriors on Saturday by an 89-84 final score. They will two more games at Chase Center (on Sunday and Tuesday) before heading to Las Vegas for standard Summer League play on July 10.

Bronny, the 20-year-old son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, is officially listed as part of the team’s roster for Summer League this year. Though it was surprising to see Bronny as a late scratch fo Saturday’s Summer League opener, he will likely be suiting up at some point this summer as the Lakers gear up towards their reported plan for Bronny during the 2025-26 NBA season.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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