LeBron James has gotten a lot of opportunities to be proud of his son oldest son, Bronny James, this week. First there was Bronny landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for his gaming exploits, and a few days later, he made his return to the court following surgery to repair his torn meniscus earlier this year, playing in the first game of his sophomore season for his high school, Sierra Canyon.
And just like ending up on his first SI cover as a high schooler was reminiscent of his father doing the same, Bronny’s game was a star-studded affair akin to the ones LeBron starred in two decades prior, drawing famous onlookers like the rapper Drake, Lakers forward Jared Dudley, 2020 NBA champion and Bubble MVP J.R. Smith, and of course, LeBron himself.
Bronny James warming up. He hasn’t even suited up this season in Sierra Canyon’s 15 games. Now, he’ll make his debut in the CIF Open Division final tonight. He’s coming off knee surgery on his meniscus in February. pic.twitter.com/rSgasUWXVy
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) June 12, 2021
First of all, the main takeaway from these clips is that Jared Dudley is definitely coming back to the Lakers, just like he said he was. Dudz has never lied.
As the game went along, LeBron — as big a basketball junkie as you’ll find — got just as excited for Bronny’s teammate, Amari Bailey, posterizing nearly the entire Corona Centennial roster in the first half:
Look at that: Even at 36, LeBron is always learning, looking positively Andre Drummond-esque on that celebration. And hey, at least it looks like his ankle is feeling a bit better!
Bronny did score a few baskets in his return, but unfortunately for him and the rest of the self-dubbed James Gang, Sierra Canyon ultimately lost the game:
FINAL. Corona Centennial 80, Sierra Canyon 72. The Huskies are Open Division champs, taking down two-time defending Open champs Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth.
Kylan Boswell finished with 26 points, he had 6 threes. Amari Bailey finished with 33 for Sierra Canyon. pic.twitter.com/6dKHm9cAnX
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) June 12, 2021
Still, this had to be a cool moment for Bronny and every other kid in that gym. I mean, having celebrities like Jared Dudley attend your high school game has to be pretty awesome, whether you win or lose.
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