Don’t look now, but the next version of LeBron James may be emerging in the form of his offspring, Bronny James, according to multiple fans after his highlight play on Wednesday night.
With a visit to the struggling Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to bounce back from their disappointing streak-ending loss to the Detroit Pistons a few nights ago. They would need strong performances once again from King James and the Lakers’ next franchise superstar, Luka Doncic, who both delivered.
LeBron recorded 23 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, to flirt with a triple-double yet again. Luka finished with a game-high 43 points on 15-of-30 shooting, to go with seven assists and six rebounds, to help lead the Lakers to a 137-130 victory over Indiana.
It kept Los Angeles up in the Western Conference standings, still trailing the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder for the conference’s top two spots.
After Luka and LeBron’s performances took the majority of Wednesday night’s spotlight, the fourth quarter brought in some of the Lakers’ bench players, including the younger Bronny James.
He made the most of his limited minutes on the court, including a highlight throwdown that the NBA shared on social media.
With just under 11 minutes left in the game and the Lakers up 107-87, Luke Kennard began driving. Bronny cut along the baseline, received a sweet bounce pass from Kennard, then rose and slammed it down with intensity, delighting the fans in Indiana.
“Throw it down, Bronny! The crowd loves it,” the announcer exclaimed after Bronny’s ferocious dunk woke up the fans.
Fans in the NBA clip’s comments also had strong reactions, with more than a few likening Bronny to his father, based on the skills he displayed in that particular instance.
Commenters said, “Ufff he has his father’s jump, what a great donqueo,” and “He’s starting to look like LeBron!”
“Yall thought this LeBron stuff was over huh 23 more years of it!!!” another commenter wrote in an X reply.
“Like father, like son… the rim felt that one,” and “Jordan’s kids can’t do this,” other X commenters said.
Fans are continuing to wait for a true breakout performance from Bronny James to show that he has his father’s abilities to take over games with elite scoring outbursts. On Wednesday evening, he recorded just four points, including that dunk, to go with two steals, an assist, and a rebound in 13 minutes.
There’s been recent speculation that after this season, LeBron James will no longer be part of the Lakers, with his next location either joining Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors or returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where it all started.
That could leave Bronny alone on the Lakers’ roster, where he could further prove himself and his abilities as a professional-level basketball player. While he’d no longer be in the shadow of his legendary NBA dad, he’d still be in the shadow of Lakers superstar Luka Doncic.
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