The Los Angeles Lakers clinched the No. 3 seed on Saturday night with a win over the Houston Rockets, which led to them resting most of their key players on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers in the team's regular season finale.
With LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent, and others sitting out, rookie Bronny James earned the first start of his NBA career - but it didn't go particularly well.
As the Lakers lost 109-81, James tallied 38 minutes and recorded just four points, three rebounds, six assists, four steals, and three turnovers, while shooting 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-2 from three-point range.
Bronny James DUNK (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/w9DMHZU5pF
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 13, 2025
His performance drew some backlash from NBA fans, especially those who had wagered on his player props for his first career start.
"Bronny James has no basketball IQ whatsoever! Can't finish at the rim or shoot well and is a defensive liability," A fan said.
"Idk what made me bet on Bronny James over," Another fan posted.
Bronny James a scrub he should stay in the in the G League. Definitely a better player there. Ain't that right," Someone else added.
One more fan commented, "This might be a career ender for Bronny James frfr."
James now wraps up his first regular season, one filled with a whirlwind of highs and lows. While he spent most of the year developing in the G League, he found notable success there, averaging 21.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game.
While he'll be with the Lakers during their postseason journey, which begins this coming week, he will likely not see much if any impact as the rotations often shrink drastically.
