Bronny says he doesn't follow rumors around LeBron as 2nd season with Lakers looms

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Although Bronny James tries to stay off all social media, that strategy didn't stop one of his friends from calling him up this week and asking him about LeBron James' thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers' direction — and what it all might mean for Bronny's future. "I said, 'I have no idea what you're talking about,'" Bronny James said with a grin Wednesday after practice with the Lakers' NBA Summer League team. "I don't really pay attention to that stuff. There's a lot of stuff going around that I don't pay attention to." Bronny sounds ready to spend a long, hot summer ducking rumors, pleading ignorance on innuendo and concentrating on the work necessary to become a contributor during his second NBA season with the Lakers. LeBron James has decided to pick up his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for his record 23rd NBA season — but his longtime agent, Rich Paul, announced the news with ambiguous comments in which he declared LeBron's desire to compete for a championship this season, even while the Lakers are building for the future around Luka Doncic. While many NBA observers are interpreting the comments as a prelude to a possible trade if the Lakers aren't an elite team in the fall, Bronny James said he isn't thinking or looking that far ahead. The Lakers took a big step toward contention Wednesday when center Deandre Ayton agreed to sign with them as a free agent, filling their most glaring offseason need. LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play together in NBA history last season, but the 20-year-old son of the top scorer in NBA history claims he doesn't know what the future holds. "We don't really talk about that much, but I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, not even pay attention to it," Bronny said. "Just lock in to what you have going on right now, and that's what's going to get me better and keep me focused. I think it's good that he tells me not to pay attention to that stuff." James first played for the Lakers a year ago in the NBA Summer League, and he is returning this month for another run. The Lakers' first game is in front of their famously passionate Vegas fans against No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks in the marquee event of the tournament. "Last year it was a crazy environment for me to step in and produce right off — being nervous, too," Bronny said. "I feel like this year I'll be able to go out and play freely and know what I'm going to go out there and do for me and my teammates. I'm just really excited to be able to play nervous-free." Bronny's focus is on his conditioning and his diet. He has slimmed down to 215 pounds with a bit more work still to go, and he wants to be able to play 10-minute stretches with no fade. That's also important for the mental aspect of the game for Bronny, who went into cardiac arrest two years ago during a summer workout at USC. "I think that side of confidence just comes with time, and being able to go through or endure myself at a longer rate of time," Bronny said. "Just being able to be out there for longer time, going at it, just coming in every day and pushing myself even more than I did the last day, I think, is really good for me." Bronny also reaffirmed his determination to be a defensive stopper, even though he showed an ability to score last season in the G League and during a 17-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks last March. "I can't lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor," Bronny said. "There's going to be guys that can go out and score 15, 20 (points) a game. I'm most likely not going to be that guy right now, but to get myself on the floor, I have to be a defensive menace, and that's my main focus, getting into that condition this year." Bronny won't get a chance to play alongside Adou Thiero in Las Vegas, however. The Lakers' second-round draft pick is still building strength after the left knee injury that bothered him at Arkansas, and while he won't play in Summer League, he is expected to be fully ready for training camp. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA