Bronny James talks after his NBA summer league debut with the Lakers

Perhaps no second-round draft pick in NBA history had as much discourse around his game on a regular basis as LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. had in his first NBA season.

Bronny’s 2024-25 NBA season was a mixed bag to put it mildly. He finished the year with 181 minutes played, 62 points scored, 18 rebounds and 22 assists over 27 games and one start.

The debate and discussions over his performances with the Los Angeles Lakers sometimes reached absurd levels. Though by far the biggest blowup came when Bronny’s father confronted ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith face-to-face at a game.

In the aftermath, Bronny has admitted that he felt a lot of pressure and that it may have been bothering him a bit at times.

“I was under a lot of pressure. It was getting to me a little,” he said, via FOX Sports reported Melissa Rohlin. 

NBA fans were pleased to see that Bronny was willing to admit such a thing, with many making their own judgements on who put the most pressure on him.

“Bronny had more pressure than ANY OTHER ROOKIE in his class. It’s crazy, especially for a 55th pick,” one user remarked.

“Because the media put so much pressure on a him. Honestly, I love Bron but forcing him to go to the league early and telling teams that they can’t draft him put him in such a tough spot,” wrote another.

“Ironically the pressure was placed on him by his dad and not the fans. I didn’t expect him to do anything.”

“You could tell for sure and I couldn’t blame him. That (expletive) got hard to ignore I bet. You can tell when he started to get past it bc he started to hoop better

“A least he can admit it. I think he will be a good player he seems self aware.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Crypto.com Arena.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Crypto.com Arena.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bronny James may have a long way to go before he can be a viable NBA bench player, let alone a starter.

But now that he’s finished his rookie season, the initial pressures of being an NBA player might be behind him.

Will Bronny emerge as a better player in the 2025-26 season?