The past year and a half would have been remarkable Bronny James even if he wasn’t the son of an NBA legend. A high-profile recruit at USC, he suffered cardiac arrest during a Trojans practice in the summer of 2023 and underwent a medical procedure to repair a congenital heart defect. This was followed by Lakers‘ controversial decision to take him with a second-round pick so he could make history by working with his father. After a few appearances at the NBA level, James has honed his skills with South Bay and is playing in the G League Showcase in Orlando this week.

“I have become more resilient over the last few years through battling injuries, mental illness and the like.” James told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “Just, you know, coming in every day and working and staying the course.”

For a 20-year-old newbie, the level of scrutiny was intense, but James said public perception “flies in one ear and out the other.” He has the security of a four-year, $7.9 million contract and is working to improve his game to ensure he has a long NBA future. He also doesn’t lose sight of the fact that he’s lucky to still be able to play after his medical emergency.

“My family, my parents, they are extremely grateful that I can not only play basketball but also just walk around and talk to other people.” James said. “It is a blessing to be able to play this sport that I love. There’s a chance I wouldn’t make it. So I wake up and I’m grateful for that every day.”

There’s more about the Lakers:

• James is the most famous name in the G League Showcase, but anyone who expected him to dominate was disappointed, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. He had 16 points and five assists on Thursday, but followed that performance with six points, seven assists and six turnovers on Saturday. Carelessness with the ball has been a problem since James was sent to the G League, Hollinger added, and he shot just 24 of 76 from the field with South Bay.
• Better teamwork is being credited for the Lakers’ defensive improvements, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The team’s top three statistical defensive outings came in the last two weeks Anthony Davis said this is because the players are committed to working together as a unit. “We’re just covering for each other.” he said. “We (didn’t) have a lot of that. When a man is beaten, there was no man to protect him. We have some practice time to take care of this. And it will be shown and translated on the pitch.”
• Davis, who is dealing with a bruised left elbow, and LeBron Jameswho is still dealing with a left foot injury, both have been made available for today’s game against Sacramento, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.