Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was on cloud nine after he managed to score his first NBA bucket against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Though the Lakers suffered a 134-110 loss, the Cavaliers’ home crowd got behind Bronny.
The Cavaliers took the first quarter by 42-23 and from there on the Lakers were always chasing the game.
The Cleveland crowd chanted “We Want Bronny! midway through the third quarter and the Lakers coach JJ Redick gave the fans what they wanted in the middle of the fourth quarter.
With two minutes remaining in the final frame, James Jr. scored with a 14-foot step-back jumper.
“It was insane,” Bronny said of the reception after finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in five minutes. “Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it’s all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here.
“Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure.”
On the other hand, LeBron James admitted he might not have been able to handle the crowd pressure when he was a rookie with the Cavaliers.
“He’s better than I would have been in that situation — 20,000 fans screaming my name to get in the game and wanting me to be in the game, and if the role’s reversed, I don’t know if I would have been able to handle it,” said LeBron, who scored 26 points but had six turnovers as he lost in Cleveland as an opponent for only the third time in 12 games. “To see him get his first NBA basket in this arena where he grew up not too far away from here, it’s an unbelievable moment.
“An unbelievable moment for him, first of all. For our family. It’s just pretty cool to be a part of it.”
Bronny revealed that he has been always told to play the game in the right way.
“I’ve been just taught to play the right way my whole life,” Bronny said as he sat next to LeBron during their postgame news conference. “So, just me going in there and playing my game is always something that I’m going to do.”
The Lakers will next take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
