Bronny James is entering his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers focused on developing his own career after his father, LeBron James, left the team for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking during Lakers media day on Monday, September 28, Bronny said LeBron’s departure represents another stage in his development as he looks to establish himself independently in the NBA.
“He’s got his own path and I got my own,” Bronny said. “He knows that I want to make a name for myself and want to continue my career and keep growing as a player and he knows that I want to focus on that.”
LeBron spent eight seasons with the Lakers before signing with Philadelphia during the offseason. Bronny, who played alongside his father during the past two seasons, said there was not an extensive conversation between the two about the decision.
“We’re men of very little words when it comes to talking about business and, you know, what we’re going to do and how we feel about each other,” Bronny said. “So, wasn’t really much to be honest with you.”
Bronny added that he is happy for his father and is looking forward to facing him when the Lakers visit Philadelphia on Christmas.
“I’m happy for him, and excited to where their season goes,” he said. “I’m excited to see him on Christmas. Excited to play against him on Christmas.”
For Bronny, creating his own identity is a major motivation heading into the 2026-27 season.
“I think for me, just the motivating factor of creating my own path and my own career just makes me want to get up every day and work hard,” he said.
“It’s just a motivating factor for me, just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron.”
Bronny enters the season after showing progress during his second NBA campaign. He appeared in 42 games in 2025-26, averaging 2.9 points, 1.2 assists and 0.5 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game while shooting 38.6% from three-point range.
He also received an increased opportunity during the playoffs, including minutes against Houston, and said the experience helped his confidence and development.
“It was great for me. It was great for my confidence,” Bronny said. “Great for my development as a player.”
His next step is consistency. Bronny said he wants to establish himself as a reliable role player by contributing on both ends of the floor.
“I think what you said, just being consistent. Showing up every night,” he said. “Being relentless, both sides of the floor, and making sure I’m getting my teammates involved and disrupting on the defensive end.”
One area Bronny specifically worked on during the offseason was decision-making. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves handling much of the Lakers’ primary creation duties, Bronny expects to have opportunities as a secondary ball handler.
“I think just decision-making,” he said. “I’m going to be a secondary ball handler whenever Luka or AR is out. So, just being able to bring the ball up, get our team into action and create for others.”
Bronny also emphasized the importance of adapting to a dramatically changed Lakers roster. The team added nine new players during the offseason, and he said the trip to Slovenia helped the group begin building relationships.
“I feel like the Slovenia trip was good for us,” Bronny said. “Just to get away, spend some time with each other and learn about each other.”
With a younger group around Doncic and Reaves, Bronny believes the Lakers can play with considerable energy.
“I think because we’re young and we’re finding a way to get close to each other, I feel like we can feed off each other’s energy,” he said.
