LeBron James tunes in to Bronny James' Summer League game while warming up for Team USA
Team USA men’s basketball squad begins their quest for gold on Wednesday evening, as they prepare for an exhibition match vs. Canada, a team that’s expected to be one of the top contenders for the gold medal in France. LeBron James decided to join Team USA for the 2024 Olympics and he’s trying to be in two places at the same time. While warming up on Wednesday night, he was seen watching his son, Bronny James, playing in the NBA Summer League against the Miami Heat.
Team USA and Canada figures to be one of the most highly anticipated games before the Olympics get underway in a few weeks. USA had to deal with Kawhi Leonard withdrawing from the Olympics due to injury, and he was replaced by Derrick White of the Boston Celtics. USA and Canada are set to tip-off on Wednesday night at 10:30 PM EST on FS1.
Another issue the Americans are monitoring is the health status of Kevin Durant, who is the all-time scoring leader in USA men’s basketball history. He’s been nursing a calf strain and they’ll likely be cautious with him in the upcoming weeks since he’s still got time to heal up.
In the NBA Summer League game on Wednesday night, Bronny James scored three points and grabbed five rebounds in 29 minutes of work. But former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht stole the show. He poured in 20 points and nine rebounds. But the Lakers lost to the Heat, 80-76. Keshad Johnson had a big night for Miami, scoring 21 points. The former Arizona star went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, but has looked impressive this summer.
More on Bronny James’ basketball career
Bronny James joins the Lakers following just one season at USC, where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his 19.4 minutes per game during his true freshman year. Primarily coming off of the bench for the Trojans with just six starts and three games in double figures last college basketball season.
James played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Los Angeles (CA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle and the No. 6 ranked point guard, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
His college career got off to a frightening start after suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest in early July during one of USC’s offseason workouts. But he eventually worked himself back to full strength after missing the first eight games of the season, shooting 36.6% from the field in his 25 games as a two-way role player for the Trojans.
On3’s Kaiden Smith also contributed to this article.