Nationwide — Bronny James recently scored a career-high 39 points, showcasing his best performance yet for the G League South Bay Lakers in a 122-118 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors.
James showed strong accuracy, hitting 14 of 21 shots and four of eight three-pointers, while adding seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. This impressive performance came just days after he scored 17 points in the Lakers’ recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
After the game, he expressed confidence, telling Spectrum SportsNet’s Timothy Parker, “I belong out here. It’s all I’m trying to prove.”
“A lot of people say that I don’t, so I just come out, work everyday, try to get better every day and prove myself every day,” James continued, according to Sports Illustrated. “All the criticism that’s thrown my way, it’s amazing to shut all that down.”
This statement followed a recent interview with The Athletic, where James opened up about the criticism he faces. He acknowledged the pressure of being compared to his father, LeBron James, and the belief that his success is due to his dad’s fame.
However, James shared that he uses the criticism as motivation. “But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—— robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.”
This performance also came shortly after his father LeBron James confronted ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who criticized Bronny’s readiness for the NBA and claimed LeBron pushed his son into the spotlight too early.
