Bronny James, looking more ready for the NBA, should find a role with the Lakers this season

Boston Globe

a day ago

The atmosphere in Las Vegas was still pro-Bronny. The Thomas & Mack Center crowd cheered vigorously when he dashed onto the floor prior to the Lakers matchup with the Celtics. They reacted with glee when he made a shot, a steal, or even grabbed a rebound.
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'I definitely think it's a crazy atmosphere in Vegas, it always has been the years that I came and watched and I'm not even playing,' Bronny said. 'It's kind of hard to determine which fans are real and which ones are just, you know, trolling, or stuff like that. So I just try to keep my head level. Didn't think I was as in shape as I should have been coming into it, but definitely was a better result than last year, so I'm happy with it.'
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He has responded by just trying to play, improve, and prove himself.
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'I'm definitely using my body a little more, especially [compared to] when I was first drafted last year, USC and my senior year in high school,' he said after averaging 14.3 points in four Las Vegas summer games.
'Just get reps, play 30-plus minutes. Just fill out my game. Make mistakes.
'I definitely feel like my confidence is up from last year. I feel like it's been a slow progression.'
The exchange James had with Celtics rookie
Hugo Gonzalez
was interesting. They traded trash talk, but James is definitely confident in his ability to defend and use his physicality to get past defenders running the point. He complimented the 19-year-old Gonzalez but still thought he got the better of the matchup.
'Oh yeah, he's a great player,' James said. 'I always have respect for the guys who have played, so I'm not going to back down, but I have to do what I have to do, if that means I'm getting pressured full court and I have to go by him, I have to do that. So definitely felt like he couldn't keep up with me in the full court.
'But I respect him big time.'
Gonzalez actually confronted James after both chased a rebound, and James said he didn't flinch.
Overall it was a positive summer league experience for James, who still needs to improve his shooting and decision-making. He committed eight turnovers in the loss to the Celtics. And he shot just 30 percent from the 3-point line in the four games. But there could be a third guard role if he blends into
JJ Redick's
system. James's next task is to emerge as a steady floor leader and distributor.
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'I just think keep on working on my game on ball, all this stuff off ball will just flow,' he said. 'But if I am consistently confident in bringing the ball up and being able to play the one when it's needed, I think I'll be good because I don't really have any problem playing off the ball if I need to. Me having the ball in my hand most of the time is really good for my development.'
Bronny James (left) and LeBron James warm up before a game against the Timberwolves in October.
Eric Thayer/Associated Press
Wait a minute
Silver holds off on expansion talk
This past week in Las Vegas, there was great anticipation that commissioner
Adam Silver
would announce the NBA would be accepting applications for expansion, especially from Seattle basketball supporters. Silver had been delaying expansion decisions until a new CBA was ratified (happened) and a new television deal was reached into the next decade (also happened).
So when he approached the media after the annual summer Board of Governors meetings, there was an expectation expansion would be a definitive plan in the near future. Two media members traveled to Las Vegas from Seattle for an anticipated announcement.
Some in Seattle were expecting a potential Sonics return for the 2027-28 season. Silver not only didn't announce expansion plans, he said the league will research the viability of expansion, a serious setback for those in Seattle and Las Vegas.
Silver is just as interested and intrigued in an NBA-sponsored league in Europe, a move that could bring billions to the owners, as he is expanding to 32 teams and further splitting the revenue pot.
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'The appetite in the room I would define more as curiosity and more let's do the work,' Silver said about the possibility of US expansion. 'I think if I were an owner, ultimately, what you're considering is, is this additive to the league. Additive can be measured in lots of different ways. There's additive economically. But from a competitive standpoint, how would particular markets impact our national footprint.
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'I think, also, how would certain owners fit in terms of the league dynamic. There's strategic value to a lot of the owners in this league. I think one of the reasons this league is doing so well is because of the collection of team owners we have right now. We have a very, very active committee process and a very engaged group.'
Silver is pushing worldwide expansion, tapping into European and African markets, and it's as much of a priority as adding American teams. And the owners appear to be listening.
'I think what I find very heartening is that while they are fierce competitors on the floor, at the meetings we had, these teams and the team governors are parking individual interests and saying, all right, we're stewards of the game,' Silver said. 'As we look at these opportunities in Europe — by the way we had a discussion about the league we have in Africa now.
'It's not substitutional. It's not as if we are sitting there saying, well, if we do something in Europe, we don't do something in the United States or North America. But the issues are related. There's no question about it. Part of what we look at is how can we continue to grow this game on a global basis and how can we take advantage of the NBA brand to do that.'
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The NBA has shown a desire to return to Seattle since the Sonics were bought by Oklahoma City businessmen and then relocated there in 2008. The unceremonious and contentious departure of the Sonics eventually became former commissioner
David Stern's
biggest regrets because of the attractive market. And the city has grown tremendously in the past 17 years.
'I understand there's particular communities that are represented here, and we're honored at the amount of interest and pleased to see that from several markets,' Silver said. 'Ultimately, what we're looking at is first and foremost, how will this impact the existing operation of the NBA, and what is it that we should be doing to continue growing interest in the game of basketball on a global basis. That's why there were domestic discussions, there were European discussions, and there were discussions about our ongoing league in Africa.
'So I think there is a significant step now in that we are now engaging in this in-depth analysis, something we weren't prepared to do before. It's really Day 1 of that analysis. So in terms of price, potential timing, too early to say.'
In other words, there are no promises for expansion. Silver is not going to create time lines or make promises. The league will expand if its financially viable.
'It is truly a complicated issue,' he said. 'There was no sense in the room that people were taking sides. There was no straw poll. There was no request that people indicate pro or con in terms of expansion. There was a consensus quickly formed that the league office should do the work and work with these particular committees and the board and present that analysis.'
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Silver not only didn't announce expansion plans, he said the league will now research the viability of expansion.
Chase Stevens/Associated Press
WNBA issues
CBA talks a work in progress
WNBA All-Star weekend was a rousing success with ratings and the players decided to send a message, donning T-shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us', in reference to a new collective bargaining agreement. WNBA players only take 9 percent of the league's basketball-related revenues compared with 51 percent for their NBA counterparts.
WNBA commissioner
Cathy Engelbert
, who haspublicly ignored the disappointment of many players regarding their salaries and playing conditions, addressed the meetings without much promise for an amicable agreement.
'I want to call it constructive,' Engelbert said. 'We had candid dialogue. This is part of the process. When I first joined the league actually six years ago on Thursday, I was four days on the job and we had our first collective bargaining meeting at All-Star.
'I appreciated how many players came to the meeting. I thought that was great. Communication is important. Having that meeting, being at the table, was important with that scale of players. I would just say we've been through these negotiations many times. This is only my second one, but my team has been through many of them.'
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The league's exponential growth, boosted by the entrance of
Caitlin Clark
and
Angel Reese
, has been evident and impressive. And the league also will grow by seven teams by 2030 with teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, with Boston being interested in being the 19th team.
But Reese and Clark, two of the league's most decorated young players, earn a combined $152,000 per season while the expansion fee for new teams is an estimated $250 million. There is a disparity in earnings and salaries.
'I just want to say I really respect the players,' Engelbert said. 'We're listening. They're listening to our owners. We're kind of in the middle as the league trying to make sure we're setting this league up for success for decades. That's the goal, to have a fair CBA for all. I want a lot of the same things the players want. I said that last time, too. It's not changed. But we also have to have a process where we go back and forth. We're in the process. Again, I'm still really optimistic that we'll get something done that will be transformational and next year at All-Star we'll be talking about how great everything is. Obviously, there's a lot of hard work to be done on both sides to get there.'
Engelbert has to explain how the league is growing so fast but yet the players are unhappy with their compensation. The worst thing that could happen to the league is a work stoppage, but the sides don't appear to be close to any agreement.
'I would say we have entered this period the last two years what I call hyper-growth,' she said. 'We're not going to be in hyper-growth forever. No company ever is. It's how to continue to sustain this momentum and ultimately globalizing our game. I've talked about what that means. It doesn't mean just playing games globally, because a lot of people think that's it. Actually, we have an enormous fan base. I met a fan today that flew here from Australia just for two days this weekend. She's obviously a super fan.
'How do we get more people engaged with the WNBA globally because I think we're really strong domestically now, obviously we're going to be in Canada next year with the [Toronto] Tempo. What does it look like in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa? There's a huge amount of possibilities to turn these players into the global household name stars that they've now become here in the United States domestically. I'd say that's the next big thing.'
So Engelbert is talking about making the WNBA stars global icons but the players are consumed, understandably, with their pay scale. They don't want to be paid similar to their NBA counterparts, but Clark making $78,000 in a 44-game season appears absurdly low.
The question is whether the potential globalization of the league will mean more money for the players as well as the league. They have to be aligned.
'We have a variety of other capabilities we're trying to build around data, around fan acquisition, around using that data for insights to bring in more corporate partners at higher evaluations to help our teams grow their corporate partnership base, season tickets, dynamic pricing,' Engelbert said. 'There's still a lot of hard work to be done.
'I just come back to the players and the elite level of play they're putting on the court. I respect what they do every day. So thrilled to represent them because I think they're helping lift all of women's sports and, quite frankly, girls and women in society.
'Walking behind
A'ja Wilson
today, how these fans are just kind of so looking up to her as such a role model I think beyond just her basketball ability.I would say the next big one is globalization, for sure.'
Wilson, at $200,000 per season, is tied for the league's 20th-highest paid player. She makes exponentially more money with her Nike contract.
Layups
The Celtics' waiving of guard
JD Davison
means they are under the second apron and it perhaps gives an NBA opportunity for the hard-working G-League MVP who was hoping to get quality minutes in his fourth season. Davison was the 53rd overall pick in 2022 and spent three years with Maine before getting a standard NBA contract near the end of the regular season. Because that contract wasn't guaranteed, Davison was expendable but he's now an unrestricted free agent unless he's claimed off waivers. Davison has the skills to be a third point guard and is only 22 … The Pistons released former Celtics training camp invitee
Ron Harper Jr.
and replaced him with former Kings draft pick
Colby Jones
… Former Celtics training camp invitee
Lonnie Walker IV
is expected to return to Maccabi Tel Aviv. He had a stint with the 76ers last season … The Clippers are hoping Bradley Beal will revive his career and give the club a boost at shooting guard. With the addition of 40-year-old
Chris Paul
, the Clippers are one of the oldest teams in the league and their window to win is now. Los Angeles also added 37-year-old
Brook Lopez
t and re-signed
Nicolas Batum
, who will be 37 in December. The organizational thinking is with a healthy
Kawhi Leonard
and
James Harden
, the share of the offensive load will be balanced. And the club has enough younger bodies in
Derrick Jones Jr.
,
Ivica Zubac
,
John Collins
and
Cam Christie
to offset the age.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at