Behind the scenes of LA Lakers Summer League chaos with Bronny James’ ‘visible tensions’ and ‘frustrated’ teammates

More than any other franchise in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers are known for bright lights, drama and attention.

But the excitement surrounding Bronny James’ first games in a purple and gold uniform reached extraordinary heights, leading to tensions within the Lakers’ Summer League roster, The US Sun reported.

The Lakers’ decision to draft their superstar’s eldest son at No. 55 overall in June was a historic moment for the franchise, the NBA and the James family.

The league finally saw its first-ever father-son duo reunite, a very distinctive answer to MLB’s Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. of the early 1990s.

This led to ugly nepotism debates, fueled by Bronny’s guaranteed $7.9 million deal and LeBron’s contract extension, which he signed despite previous claims he could take a pay cut to help the Lakers pursue impact players in free agency.

The 6-foot-1 guard was cut from the 15-man roster despite averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his lone season at the University of Southern California, a season cut short by a cardiac arrest he suffered a few months before the start of his freshman year.

Bronny, 19, saw the hot takes and social media posts that only amplified the “increased pressure” he felt, the Lakers rookie said during his press conference a few days before his Summer League debut.

The guard scored 3 of 12 attempts and showed defensive talent in two appearances at the California Classic, missing one matchup with a swollen knee before heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the main event.

There, the second-round pick remained the center of attention, even as the biggest names from the 2024 draft class — whether it was Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr or Reed Sheppard — all came to Sin City to play.

On Day 1, ESPN featured Bronny before he even donned his number 9 jersey with James Jr. on the back. It was a pre-game broadcast of the Lakers’ game against the Houston Rockets.

At the Thomas & Mack Center, a specially designed rug bearing his image hung on the arena wall, alongside a rug celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Vegas Summer League.

The Lakers fell to 0-5 after losses to the Rockets and Boston Celtics. Center Colin Castleton later admitted to reporters that he was “a little rough.”

Meanwhile, the hysteria surrounding Bronny only grew, fueled by LeBron’s previous comments about a potential NBA partnership with his son, which the young James tried to distance himself from.

The rookie made headlines for his rough start — at the time he was averaging 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while connecting on 22.6 percent of his shots and making 0 of 15 3-pointers — and even for winning the Call of Duty competition.

The fuss and his alleged star treatment caught some in the locker room off guard, a Lakers insider told The US Sun.

“That kind of tension didn’t help build good chemistry within the group of players,” said the insider, who also had “nothing against” Bronny.

“And you could feel that there was no unity (between) this group of boys, because Bronny was the lead and the others felt that this wasn’t right, that he didn’t deserve this.”

Bronny, speaking to the media, dealt with the overwhelming hype with humility, even suggesting he would be open to a potential assignment in the G League.

However, his team did not often make him available to reporters, which the insider found “unkind” to his teammates and other members of the Lakers franchise.

“You can’t be treated like a star if you’re not a franchise player or a superstar,” the source continued, before adding, “This doesn’t look good for us.

“And with the attention and treatment of Bronny, a lot of other young boys who are trying to make the squad for next season, couldn’t show their best side and play their best game.”

A Lakers Summer League player, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that he doesn’t think he can fully showcase his talent in Vegas.

“I mean, he was treated like a separate person, not like the rest of us, and that’s really unfortunate because we didn’t feel any chemistry in this group of players,” the player said.

“I got really frustrated because I was never put in the best situation or even put into some of the plays or game plans because they wanted Bronny to showcase his skills and shine.

You can’t be treated like a star if you’re not a franchise player or a superstar

Los Angeles Lakers Insider

“If you talk to other players who were part of the California Classic and Summer League rosters, most of them would tell you the same thing.

“The tensions were visible and we were all thinking about getting out of here after the end of the Summer League and focusing on the next step in our careers.”

The player tried not to blame Bronny for the “tense atmosphere” and said he wished him the best and even felt “a little sorry” for the young James, “because he’s not ready for all of this and in my opinion he’s not ready for the NBA.”

In fact, James Jr. seemed to make an effort to foster camaraderie within the group, often cheering on his teammates from the sidelines during games.

His performance also improved toward the end of the tournament, finishing strong with 13 points on 5 of 10 field goals, along with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a 93-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers — his final appearance in Vegas.

Los Angeles won three games in a row before leaving Sin City.

Still, the player who spoke to The US Sun said playing in what he called “Bronny On Tour” detracted from his Summer League career.

“It wasn’t a good experience, to be honest,” the player said.

“And the fact that almost everything revolved around Bronny didn’t help either.”

The reactions to Bronny’s first weeks with the Lakers have been as varied as the NBA world’s reaction to his selection in the draft.

Cayden Boozer, the son of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer and a five-star prospect, defended the young James and pointed out the enormous value his family name carries.

“He gets a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of haters,” he told The Athletic.

“He’s still a rookie. He was the 55th pick. I don’t know why they expect him to be the next generation player.

“He has to become his own player. You have to let that happen.”

A basketball scout who spoke with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints confirmed Boozer’s claims.

“Everyone needs to calm down a little bit because he’s a failure. These growing pains were to be expected,” the scout said.

He gets a lot of hate for no reason just because he is LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of haters

Cayden Boozer

“Given his heart issues last summer and the pressure of being LeBron’s son, Bronny is about where a lot of us thought he would be right now.”

On the other hand, veteran sportswriter and founder of The Ringer, Bill Simmons, predicted that Bronny would be a “big distraction” for the Lakers in his rookie year.

“This Bronny James thing is going to put a weird twist on the season, I don’t think it’s going to be anything positive,” Simmons said on his podcast.

“It’s cool that he gets to play with his son, but it’s going to be a big distraction this whole season. That’s just the way it is.”

Meanwhile, the Lakers indicated they were not concerned about Bronny’s future.

“He’s trying to find his way,” Summer League coach Dale Johnson said, via The Athletic.

“He’s trying to find the offense. Again, he’s trying to get more reps with our guys to get comfortable.

“But I’m not worried about him. I’ve seen him shoot. I’ve seen him play.”

Bronny has “a long career ahead of him,” Johnson added.

“This is just the beginning. … We have a long way to go,” he said.