Bronny James will not play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ California Classic summer league game on Sunday due to trace swelling in his left knee, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
The rookie, who made his debut with the team on Saturday in their loss to the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, was held out as a precaution on Sunday. He is expected to play on Wednesday in their final game of the tournament against the Miami Heat.
James played 21 minutes on Saturday in their 108-94 loss to the Kings. He had four points and two rebounds in the contest, and shot just 2-of-9 from the field and 0-of-3 from behind the arc.
“He’s just got to keep learning, keep getting reps and learning how much he’s capable of,” Lakers summer league coach Dane Johnson said after Saturday’s game, via ESPN. “Like, his body, he can get downhill if he uses his shoulder if he has a little bit of an advantage on somebody. And just building that confidence into him.”
James was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA Draft last month after a single season at USC, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds largely off the bench with the Trojans. James, the eldest son of LeBron James, then signed a four-year, $7.9 million deal with the club. When they take the court together in a game this fall, they’ll be the first father-son duo to do so in the history of the league. LeBron is currently training with Team USA in Las Vegas ahead of the Paris Olympics.
After they wrap up in San Francisco, James and the Lakers will head to Las Vegas for more summer league games in Nevada. They’ll open that tournament against the Houston Rockets on July 12 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
