Bronny James Shows Promising Growth At NBA Summer League And The Crowd Is Loving It

Bronny James has been winning over more and more NBA fans throughout his time on the court during NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas.

The son of NBA superstar LeBron James has had all eyes on him since his first game in the league, and fans are noticing his growth in the sport. His standout performance on Thursday night when the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Boston Celtics further proves he's one to watch this upcoming NBA season.

The Blast caught three Lakers matchups during Summer League - Thursday’s game against the Celtics, Monday’s showdown with the LA Clippers, and last Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. While there, we noticed the difference in the crowd when Bronny is playing from last year to this year. We grabbed the opinions of some real fans who have been following Bronny's career since day one.

Being LeBron's son puts some added pressure on Bronny on the court, and the difference he's showing from last Summer League to this one is noticeably huge.

I was at NBA Summer League last year and remember being mad that Bronny was getting more boos than cheers. Maybe it's the mom in me, or maybe it's just unfair to judge a player because of who his father is, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Fast forward to this Summer League, and the difference is huge.

Not only can any fan paying attention notice a difference in Bronny's confidence on the court, but it's also super apparent that he's quickly become a fan favorite. The younger generation really have a love for Bronny like no other. Young kids sitting courtside for Thursday night's game couldn't resist screaming out "Bronny" over and over during warmups, and the stands erupted with cheers as he entered the court. And every time he was involved in a play, the crowd just got louder and more excited.

Bronny was the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by his father's team, the LA Lakers. That alone fueled some fires in fans and NBA analysts. The word "nepotism" was swirling around, and many felt he didn't belong in the league just yet.

His rookie year wasn't the best as far as stats and performance. He played 27 regular season games with the Lakers and 11 G-League games with the South Bay Lakers during the 2024-2025 season. With the LA Lakers, Bronny averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. With the South Bay Lakers, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists.

Things have definitely taken a turn for him and he's proving it during this year's Summer League.

Two of my sons are huge NBA fans and have been most of their lives. They both follow stat lines, watch every game they possibly can, and take notice of things I might not.

Ryder, 20, has been a fan of LeBron for as long as I can remember. He followed Bronny's basketball career since college and noticed quite a bit of change in him in just a short period of time.

"Bronny has clearly made a huge jump in confidence. Last year was his first year and he was the 55th pick in the draft so he didn't get a lot of play time but when he did, you could tell he lacked confidence a little," Ryder explained. "He was taking good shots when he was on the court, but they just weren't going down."

But then this year's Summer League began, and things took an obvious turn.

"This year, you can tell that he's making those good shots, which not only has to do with practice but also the rise in confidence," he continued. "Another notable thing is his athleticism. He was athletic last season but just a few games and clips from practice you can tell he is faster, stronger, and can jump much higher now. You can also tell he's entering this season with an awesome mindset. In an interview during Summer League, he made a comment about how he's most likely not going to be averaging 10 to 15 a game this season, but he knows he needs to be a lock down defender in order to make a difference in the game for his team to get a higher role where he can then be put in a position to become a scorer."

Ryder also said that during his Summer League performance, "he's giving it his all on both ends" and is "capable of guarding bigger guys down low, notably when he was guarding Cooper Flagg [Dallas Mavericks] in the post and Bronny completely shut him down from getting to the rim for an easy bucket."

My 19-year-old son Jesse also had some thoughts to share about Bronny. He was at Summer League with me last year and saw how Bronny was being treated from the fans around us in the arena. Many were negative and had nothing nice to say about his time on the court. And then this year, Jesse immediately noticed the shift from the fans.

Jesse has also been watching Bronny's progression since day one and added to Ryder's thoughts.

"Last year he didn't seem ready for the league. He seemed uncomfortable with his game," Jesse shared. "This year, he's a whole new player. He's getting buckets and helping out his team. He's looking like he's going to be a solid role player for any team he's on."

Jesse said he's noticed that his three-pointers and passing has become smoother, and his passing is "more consistent."

"When I saw him at Summer League last year, I just didn't think he was ready for the league," he continued. "But he definitely seems NBA ready now and deserves that roster spot."

NBA Summer League has taken over Las Vegas since July 9 when the NBA Creator Cup game kicked off the nearly two weeks of basketball excitement.

Basketball fans have been spotted all over Sin City since the start of Summer League, as well as players during their downtime, and of course, NBA stars who are in the city to catch some of the action. It's been an NBA fan's dream come true!

There's still time to catch a game, or a few, before Summer League concludes on Sunday, July 20 with the championship game at 7 p.m. PT.

Visit NBA 2K26 Summer League's website for schedule and more information. And get tickets on UNLV's ticket site.