Bronny James received a warm reception in his NBA Summer League debut despite his Los Angeles Lakers squaring off with the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center, the home of their division-rival Warriors.
James, the son of four-time NBA MVP LeBron James, made his much-anticipated NBA debut Saturday as the Lakers and Kings kicked off the annual California Classic in San Francisco. James scored four points while pulling down two rebounds and dishing a pair of assists across 22 minutes on the floor.
After the game, James talked about the Chase Center atmosphere, captured by Janie McCauley of the Associated Press:
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"The atmosphere was more than I expected," James told reporters when asked what surprised him the most. "It's a big game for me, but I didn't know that people of Golden State would come and rep for me, so that was pretty nice to see."
Will that positive reception in the Bay Area continue Sunday? Well, James won't be a part of the action on the floor.
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Under an hour before the game was set to tip off, the Lakers confirmed James will not be playing against the Warriors for Sunday's second California Classic game due to left knee swelling.
That game will air at 3:30 p.m. PST on NBC Sports Bay Area and stream on the NBC Sports app.