Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis recently unveiled a priceless story about his teammates LeBron James and Bronny James’ intense back-and-forth in practice this offseason.
Lakers: Anthony Davis shares exciting story of LeBron & Bronny James going at it in practice
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Davis had this to say about the heated competition that brewed between the father-son duo, how he and his other teammates were all for it, and what it could signify for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season (h/t Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters):
“It’s fantastic to be able to be here and witness it in practice,” Davis said. “Bronny hit a 3 over him today. Everybody was talking smack in Bronny’s favor. Then Bron came down and just bullied somebody. Just took it out on [the defender] — I forgot who it was — and got a layup. Bronny came down and hit another 3, I think over Austin [Reaves]. And Bron wanted the ball.
“So you could see, even though they weren’t matched up, the competition is there. And that’s what we love to see.”
Davis’ story adds to the hype surrounding LeBron & Bronny’s upcoming historic debut
LeBron and Bronny James’ long-awaited debut has been the talk of the NBA town for several months on end, dating back to the end of the 2023-24 campaign, when just the prospects of the historic pairing started seriously floating around. The elder and younger James will become the first father and son duo to play in the league together at the same time on the same team when they do so for the Lakers starting this fall.
This account from Davis goes to show the friendly and not-so-friendly level of competition that exists between the two, and then some. LeBron is not going to take it easy on Bronny and accordingly, Bronny will not back down from his father.
That is exactly what the Lakers need to eliminate any awkwardness that could surface from the familial aspect of their relationship, keep things basketball, foster intensity from themselves and the rest of the team, and put forth a product on the Crypto.com Arena floor that not only entices the fans and gives them what they want from an entertainment aspect, but also leads to wins.
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Bronny James’ work in Lakers practice could earn him minutes early in the 2024-25 season
On a deeper level, the Kentucky product recounting what went down in practice and the way he and his Lakers troops reacted to what transpired hints that such a lighthearted atmosphere could cultivate camaraderie and team building throughout the year — something that is vital toward all title teams capturing a championship.
Bronny is expected to see time in the G League to develop his game throughout the upcoming campaign, but seeing that we already know what we’ll get from his father LeBron barring catastrophe, it’s encouraging to hear from a firsthand account that the USC product is putting in work in practice, which will be sure to leave an impression on Lakers head coach JJ Redick and potentially have bearings regarding his role on the team down the line.
