The NBA Summer League is the first chance for fans to catch a glimpse of basketball’s top prospects and the league’s future superstars.
Summer League is an annual off-season tournament in which NBA teams put together rosters consisting of rookie, sophomore, G-League and tryout players as they get a first look at the future of their organizations.
Since 2002, most of the NBA’s top stars flashed their potential during the mid-summer tournament as they tried to make a good first impression on the teams that drafted them.
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LeBron James was the first generational prospect to play in the Summer League, making his debut in the 2003 Orlando Summer League after the 
Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him first overall a few weeks prior.
Twenty-one years later, his eldest son, Bronny, made his own Summer League debut as the 55th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
How did Bronny’s Summer League performances compare to his father’s? GIVEMESPORT dives in to the James Gang’s first steps in professional basketball.
LeBron James’ Summer League Performance
Cavs phenom had quiet Summer League in 2003
The hype around James as he began his NBA journey was unlike anything the sport had seen before. The 18-year-old, fresh out of high school, was touted as the next Michael Jordan, and the 2003 Summer League in Orlando was his first chance at showing the world how talented he really was.
In his debut game, LeBron put up a respectable 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, followed by a 25-point outing in the next game.
But it went downhill after that.
James scored 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting in his third game as the Milwaukee Bucks routed his Cavaliers by 20 points.
In his final game against Boston, the 18-year-old put up a nine-point game on an atrocious 2-for-14 from the field while also missing crucial free throws late in the game.
|
LeBron James – 2003 Summer League Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Category |
Stats |
|
PPG |
15.8 |
|
RPG |
7.3 |
|
APG |
4.3 |
|
FG% |
36.9 |
James was certainly not the last future superstar to have a difficult Summer League, but it’s safe to say the career he went on to carve out in the NBA — which includes four championships and four MVP awards — has more than made up for his modest beginnings as a pro.
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Bronny James’ Summer League Performance
LeBron’s son had his moments in offseason showcase
Bronny James was drafted in the second round by the Lakers — his father’s current team — after one season at USC, where he averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three-point range.
Many around the basketball world raised their eyebrows at the pick, unsure if Bronny was — or would ever be — ready for the NBA.
The 19-year-old set out to prove his doubters wrong in the Summer League.
James’ debut came against the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic Summer League, in which he scored four points, nabbed four rebounds and dished four assists in 21 minutes.
Bronny’s next game against the Miami Heat was not any more convincing, scoring just three points and grabbing five rebounds.
The young guard and the Lakers then moved on to the Las Vegas Summer League, where he started to show flashes of his potential.
Despite scoring just two points against the Boston Celtics, James put up 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.
He followed that up with a 13-point performance against Cleveland to close out his 2024 Summer League run.
Following Summer League, Bronny James split the 2024-25 season with the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
|
Bronny James – 2024-25 Stat Splits |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Category |
LA Lakers |
South Bay Lakers |
|
Games |
27 |
11 |
|
Minutes |
6.7 |
34.2 |
|
Points |
2.3 |
21.9 |
|
Rebounds |
0.7 |
5.2 |
|
Assists |
0.8 |
5.4 |
|
Field Goal % |
31.3% |
44.0% |
|
3-Point Field Goal % |
28.1% |
38.0% |
LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo to ever play an NBA game together on October 22, 2024.
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