New Lakers guard Bronny James has explained why he chose to wear the No. 9 jersey as a member of the Purple and Gold.
In an interview with the NBA franchise’s X account, James hinted that some of his preferred numbers — possibly retired by the Lakers or worn by an active player — weren’t available, forcing him to choose the number once worn by Nick Van Exel.
James also revealed a popular rapper’s tattoo inspired his jersey number.
“Well, there wasn’t many numbers available for me to pick,” James said. “Nine was one of the ones that, you know, resonated with me, especially because I have three of them tatted on me. The Juice WRLD’s 999 [tattoo] meaning it’s turning everything negative and flipping it upside down.”
Van Exel Blesses Bronny with No. 9 Jersey
Once Bronny chose the No. 9 jersey, Van Exel — who made an All-Star team as part of the Lakers in 1998 — gave his stamp of approval to the Lakers rookie.
Even LeBron James appreciated Van Excel’s gesture, sending a salute and a handshake emoji on X to the retired Lakers guard.
If Bronny can mimic Van Exel’s impact, he’d prove to be a very productive player for the Lakers. Van Exel averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds during his five seasons with the Lakers. Besides handling point-guard duties on a nightly basis, Van Exel also excelled as a three-point shooter at a time when teams didn’t shoot many threes. During his five-year stint with the Lakers, Van Excel made two threes per game from 5.5 attempts — ahead of the time numbers for players in the 1990s.
Van Exel was also a very adept perimeter defender. It’s no secret that Bronny, too, is trying to make a niche for himself in the NBA with his defensive skillset.
Tempered Expectations for Bronny
The son of LeBron James had a rather disappointing Summer League campaign, averaging 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists from four games. However, he showed the makings of an elite defensive guard, with flashes of a good playmaker and shot-creator in the final two outings in Las Vegas.
Those performances have somewhat tempered the expectations around Bronny as the Lakers enter the 2024-25 season. Even before the Summer League, the widespread belief was for Bronny to start his career with the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. And during the Summer League, new Lakers coach JJ Redick all but confirmed that Bronny won’t be in his rotation from the get-go when he referred to the 19-year-old as “a developmental player” who will spend time in the G League.
Redick also compared Bronny’s skill set to reigning All-Defensive player Luguentz Dort
of the OKC Thunder.
“We were at the Canada-USA basketball exhibition game. And I turned to one of our assistant coaches during the game. And I said, ‘I think Lu Dort just single-handedly broke up the eighth possession of the game.’ Like, his impact. You can’t get into your offense. Sometimes, the shot clock winds down because of his ball pressure. He literally blows up entire plays because of that pressure. And I really believe this. Bronny will eventually be that guy,” Redick told Sirius XM NBA Radio on July 12.
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