LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bronny James has gotten the message from his father and his coach: His transition to the Los Angeles Lakers is going to take some time and a lot of work.
And Friday only further proved what they've been saying.
James, the No. 55 overall pick in last month’s draft, struggled from the field and scored eight points as the Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets 99-80 on the opening day of NBA Summer League.
Bronny’s dad, LeBron James, wasn’t there — he was with the U.S. Olympic team in Abu Dhabi, having arrived there earlier Friday to prepare for a pair of exhibitions next week as the Americans continuing ramping up for the Paris Games.
But Bronny’s mom, Savannah, was in the crowd, which was sold out and mostly filled with fans wearing Lakers purple and gold. They roared when Bronny James was introduced, as was expected.
“The atmosphere, they came to support,” James said.
James' final stats: 3 for 14 from the field, 0 for 8 on 3-pointers, five rebounds, two steals and three turnovers in 27 minutes. Through three games this summer, the first two coming at the California Classic — a smaller summer league in San Francisco — he's shooting 23% and has missed all 12 of his tries from 3-point range.
“The shot hasn't been falling,” James said.
Lakers coach JJ Redick spoke with ESPN during the second quarter Friday and in the on-air interview said that he has told Bronny James to focus on defense and what will be an intense player development program that the team will create for him.
“He had a heart procedure last year, up-and-down freshman year, obviously going through the pre-draft process, there’s a conditioning element to being able to play that way defensively,” Redick said. “But overall, we like what we’ve seen in practice. We like what we’ve seen in Summer League.”
LeBron James — who played in summer leagues at Orlando and Boston as a rookie — has already said that he wants his son to remember that the stats, good, bad or otherwise, don't matter whatsoever this summer. He just wants to see growth and learning.
"The only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days," he said.
Bronny James had six of the Lakers’ first 13 points on Friday — a layup, two free throws and then a dunk where the guard who is perhaps a bit generously listed at 6-foot-2 showed off the athleticism by getting up from under the basket for a jam.
He didn't score again until midway through the fourth quarter, getting a driving basket on a nifty move — starting with a left-hand dribble down the lane, then extending and getting a floater to fall with his right hand.
James’ first two games at the California Classic didn’t lead to much in the way of stats. He shot 3 for 12 from the floor, 1 for 4 from the foul line, went 0 for 4 on 3-pointers. He did average 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 25 minutes per game in those two contests.
“I’m excited about Bronny,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said earlier in the week. “It’s a cool experience. Never been done before, never happened in basketball so it’s a cool experience to have him on our team and just kind of see him grow.”
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Los Angeles Laker guard Bronny James Jr. (9) dunks against Houston Rockets center Orlando Robinson (59) during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Los Angeles Laker guard Bronny James Jr. (9) looks on during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Friday, July 12, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Los Angeles Laker guard Bronny James Jr. (9) drives the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game Friday, July 12, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal gun crimes, making his first court appearance in the final weeks of a White House race already touched by violence.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, faces charges of possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and Justice Department prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.
Routh appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach, where he answered perfunctory questions about his work status and income. Shackled and wearing a blue jumpsuit, he smiled as he spoke with a public defender and reviewed documents ahead of the initial appearance. The lawyer declined to comment after the hearing ended.
Routh was arrested Sunday afternoon after authorities spotted a firearm poking out of shrubbery on the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing. Prosecutors asked that he remain locked up as a flight risk. A federal magistrate set additional hearings for later this month.
The authorities did not immediately reveal any new details about Routh or allege a particular motive. But he left an online footprint that reveals shifting political views and intense outrage about world events.
“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in an apparently self-published 2023 book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which described the former president as a “fool” and “buffoon” for both the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots and the “tremendous blunder” of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
Routh wrote that he once voted for Trump and must take part of the blame for the “child that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless.”
He also tried to recruit fighters for Ukraine to defend itself against Russia, and he had a website seeking to raise money and recruit volunteers to fight for Kyiv.
Court records obtained by The Associated Press show Routh was convicted of multiple felony offenses, including two charges of possessing stolen goods in 2002 in North Carolina.
Speaking in a soft voice in court, he said that he was working and making around $3,000 a month, but has zero savings.
Routh said that he has no real estate or assets, aside from two trucks worth about $1,000, both located in Hawaii. He also said that he has a 25-year-old son, whom he sometimes supports.
Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing golf noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away.
An agent fired and Routh dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, an aiming scope and a GoPro camera, authorities said. Routh was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.
It was the second apparent assassination attempt targeting Trump in as many months.
On July 13, a bullet grazed Trump's ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Eight days later, Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, giving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party’s nominee.
Tucker, Durkin Richer and Long reported from Washington.
Officers with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office work outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A vehicle with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office is parked outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Law enforcement officials work outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
An FBI officer works outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
An FBI officer works outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Trump International Golf Club is shown, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
An FBI officer works outside of Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Trump International Golf Club is shown after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The Trump International Golf Club is shown, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
