Indiana Pacers guard Kyle Mangas was a teammate of Bronny James in the Summer League, and he has nothing but positive things to say about the Los Angeles Lakers rookie. Mangas appeared on the Locked On Pacers podcast recently, where he was asked about Bronny and all the fanfare around that Summer League team.
“I have great things to say about him,” Mangas said. “He’s a super nice guy, he’s quiet, he’s pretty laid back, he’s a hard worker. But there is so much media surrounding him. We would get off the bus at our hotel and there would be 250 people waiting for him to get off, just to film him walk into the hotel.
“I mean, you’ve got to feel for a kid like that, there’s just a lot of pressure and publicity, and that’s hard to get away from sometimes,” Mangas added. “Think he handled it pretty well from what I saw.”
(starts at 19:51 mark):
Mangas recalled that the atmosphere was electric for Bronny’s first NBA Summer League game against the Houston Rockets. Host Tony East felt it was comparable to Victor Wembanyama’s first game last year, which tells you all you need to know about the fanfare surrounding him.
It is not a surprise that Bronny wasn’t fazed by any of it because he is used to the attention by now. The 19-year-old has had the spotlight on him for years and won’t crack under it.
Mangas’ comments also cast further doubt on an earlier report that claimed Bronny had gotten special treatment during Summer League and that it had caused friction among the team. Blake Hinson, who was on the team, made it clear that the report about Bronny was inaccurate, and with Mangas singing his praises too, I think it’s safe to say there wasn’t a lot of resentment in that locker room toward him.
As for that game against the Rockets, Mangas wasn’t on the court for it. He injured his ankle in the first game of the California Classic Summer League against the Sacramento Kings and was forced to be on the sidelines the rest of the way. He didn’t really get a chance to show the Lakers what he could do, which was a shame.
Mangas, who went undrafted in 2021, then returned to the Pacers by signing an Exhibit 10 contract last week. He was on the same deal with them last season and spent the entire campaign with their G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants. Mangas is expected to spend time in the G League once again next season and we might get to see him and Bronny face off at some point.
Bronny James’ Workout Video Goes Viral
Bronny was in Paris recently to cheer on his father LeBron James at the Olympics but has now gotten back to work. A video of the teenager working out in a gym even went viral on social media.
Bronny James putting in work for his rookie season in the NBA 💪
(via ryan__grande / IG) pic.twitter.com/ttgbKXuUJF
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 25, 2024
Bronny, who was drafted with the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, is certainly going to have to work his socks off if he is to have a long and successful NBA career. There is no denying that he is a very raw prospect and is not ready to play significant minutes in the NBA at the moment. I expect him to spend a fair bit of time in the G League next season and hopefully, the Lakers have a proper plan in place for his development.
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