The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business from the outset during Wednesday’s 137-130 road victory over the Indiana Pacers, allowing reserve guard Bronny James to get some run for the banged-up squad.
On top of making waves by receiving quality minutes alongside his father, Lakers star LeBron James, Bronny threw down a highlight slam late, going viral across the NBA world.
Bronny James’ Vicious Dunk Sends NBA World into a Frenzy
Splitting his time between the Lakers and their NBA G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, Bronny’s minutes have been few and far between this season, particularly during LA’s late-season surge.
However, the sophomore was available and part of JJ Redick’s bench rotation against Indiana, with the Lakers missing multiple key rotation players, including veteran guard Marcus Smart (ankle).
Bronny made his presence felt with his defensive energy against the league-worst Pacers (16-57), including thwarting a pick-and-roll alongside his father. LA got out to an early 10-0 lead and didn’t look back, building a 29-point advantage and never trailing despite Indiana’s late-game rally to make the final score more respectable.
This allowed Bronny to get extra playing time in the fourth quarter. The 21-year-old seized the opportunity, cutting backdoor for a ferocious one-handed slam off a feed from sharpshooter Luke Kennard to put the Lakers up 109-87 with 10:55 remaining.
BRONNY ALERT 🚨🚨#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/yxn7hcMSCe
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 26, 2026
Given Bronny’s high profile for a reserve, the highlight finish quickly made the rounds on X, with many lauding his athleticism.
“BRONNY JAMES DUNK. RISE UP,” Hoop Central captioned the slam.
“BRONNY JAMES THROWS IT DOWN 😳,” NBA personality Mark Jackson’s Burner reacted.
“BRONNY JAMES WOW,” The Daily Dunk gushed.
“BRONNY JAMES SLAM 😤🔥 All the Bronny HATERS are shaking!” Lakers fan account JoseLAL23 asserted.
“BRONNY JAMES HEAD WAS AT THE RIM,” BronnyMuse raved.
“BRONNY JAMES WTF. THAT IS REALLY LEBRON’S SON,” LA fan account PurpGold exclaimed.
“WE HAVE A BRONNY JAMES DUNK WITH BRON ON THE COURT OMFGGG 😭🔥🔥🔥,” BronMuse erupted.
Bronny ultimately finished with 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block, shooting 2-for-4 (50%) across 13 minutes off the bench. His second basket came on a fairly crucial pull-up midrange jumper that extended LA’s lead to 128-113 with 3:50 left.
JJ Redick and Luka Doncic both mentioned this 17-foot pull-up jumper from Bronny James as a significant that that helped the Lakers in the win over the Pacers.
JJ: “I thought the Bronny’s jumper was big to kind of settle us. And then we went to the Horns 3 with Luka, Austin and… pic.twitter.com/IC6JqaSYjj
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) March 26, 2026
Meanwhile, LeBron chipped in 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists on 9-for-17 shooting (52.9%) to supplement his co-star Luka Dončić’s game-high 43-point performance.
Wednesday’s victory marked the Lakers’ 13th in their last 15 outings as they continue to strengthen their grasp on the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed (47-26). LeBron and Co. also concluded their grueling six-game road trip with a standout 5-1 record ahead of Friday’s home clash against the lowly Brooklyn Nets (17-55).
