NBA Insider: Bronny James ‘big in’ Lakers locker room and people ‘really like him’ | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumours

Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Bronny James has had a minimal impact on the court in his first year, but he has reportedly brought value to the team out of it.

Dan Woike by La Times reported during an appearance on Buha’s block That James’ locker room presence has been appreciated by the Lakers despite being the 15th man on the roster.

“He’s big in the locker room, people really like him, he works hard,” Woike said around the 1:07:55 mark.

The 2024 second-round pick is still early in his development, but that hasn’t stopped him from drawing attention all year, especially considering he’s the son of Lakers star forward LeBron James.

Woike called it a “weird ass situation” when the opposing crowd at Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards started chanting “We Want Bronny” as early as the third quarter as the Lakers cruised to a blowout victory. When the Wizards responded with an 8-0 run, fans were openly disappointed rather than rooting for their home team.

The 20-year-old finally saw two minutes of action toward the end of the game and missed his lone shot attempt, though he did record a rebound and a steal as the Lakers went on to win 111-88.

Los Angeles (23-18) faces a tougher test Thursday night when it faces the Boston Celtics (31-13) Thursday night on TNT at 10 p.m. ET, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if James spends the game cheering on his teammates from the sidelines.