Following a strong start, Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James fizzled out during Thursday’s 87-85 Las Vegas Summer League opening defeat against the Cooper Flagg-led Dallas Mavericks. After coming up short on his game-winning shot attempt, James caught flak from Skip Bayless, a notorious detractor of his father, Lakers superstar forward LeBron James.
Upon initially calling out Bronny in a brief tweet, the veteran analyst went in on the oft-maligned 20-year-old in a lengthy postgame rant.
Skip Bayless Blasts Bronny James After His Missed Summer League Game-Winner Against Mavericks
Bronny came out of the gates firing, nailing a step-back midrange jumper and a 3-pointer for five early points in the first couple of minutes.
Bronny James with the smooth step-back to open the scoring in Vegas 🔥#NBA2KSummerLeague on ESPN pic.twitter.com/4yFeFp6jmt
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025
However, the 2024 No. 55 pick didn’t convert another field goal, ending the night 2-for-8 (25.0%), including 1-for-6 (16.7%) from downtown.
Bronny’s final miss came in the game’s waning seconds. With LA trailing 87-85 with a chance to tie or win, he ISO’d at the top of the arc and settled for a contested wing triple, which clanked off the iron.
BRONNY JAMES FOR THE WIN 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3gyCqLfeTM
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) July 11, 2025
Bayless, a longtime critic of LeBron’s supposed lack of a clutch gene, promptly took to X to draw a comparison between Bronny and his father.
“Oh, well, like father like son,” Bayless wrote.
Oh, well, like father like son.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 11, 2025
Less than an hour later, the pundit expanded on his criticism, noting that he wanted Bronny to be more assertive in his second summer league stint. Bayless then expressed disappointment about the two-way guard’s dwindling impact down the stretch.
“First and foremost, I must address LeBron James Jr.,” Bayless began. “I tweeted it the first of the game, come out in attack mode, Bronny. Just show some aggression, man. Just play free, just flash some fire. It’s summer league. You’re sort of unfairly billed, marquee-wise, as matched up against 6’9” Cooper Flagg.
“… But early flash-and-dash. … Early quick five points, and then, began to drift, as he did so much in summer league last year.”
Despite underscoring his belief in Bronny, Bayless continued by taking exception to his late-game shot selection. According to the analyst, Bronny had a prime opportunity to get to the rim but instead forced up a low-percentage look, costing his team.
“You drifted, you didn’t trust yourself, and you got the switch, and I thought, ‘Just put your head down and go. You’ve got a little crack, just go. If you have to shoot the free throws, you’ve made three out of four in this game. Just do it,'” Bayless said.
“… No, you hesitated, you drifted, you pulled back … and you try to shoot a highly contested, heavily covered step-back 3, and it doesn’t even come close. And I have to conclude, like father, like son.”
I RATE/DEBATE COOPER FLAGG’S DEBUT AND BRONNY’S SENSATIONAL START AND LIKE-FATHER FINISH pic.twitter.com/YIQtL4kK8N
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 11, 2025
Bronny finished the evening with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and one 3-pointer across 21 minutes. His next opportunity to deliver a stronger full-game effort comes on Saturday when the Lakers face the New Orleans Pelicans.
