Bronny James found himself on the receiving end of heavy criticism after failing to clinch the win for the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night. 

James faced off against No 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg Thursday as the Lakers took on the Dallas Mavericks in a salivating Summer League showdown.

James, the eldest son of NBA icon LeBron James, had the chance to slay the Mavericks and the college basketball National Player of the Year in the dying seconds of the matchup. 

However, instead of going out with a bang, the 20-year-old’s on-court performance fizzled out in a whimper. 

With the clock winding down and the Lakers trailing by two, the former USC Trojan’s potential game-winning three-pointer ricocheted off the rim. 

The miss allowed Dallas to escape with the win, sparking backlash to Bronny’s attempt on social media. 

Bronny went for the win vs. that Mavs but the Lakers fell short 😯 pic.twitter.com/7cqcUBrDKo

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 11, 2025

Bronny James faced off against No 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg in an Summer League showdown 

The 20-year-old missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in the dying seconds 

‘Bronny Choking in The Clutch Just Like His Dad,’ one fan account shared, referencing the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer. 

‘Just bad on so many levels,’ a second posted, while the original agreed adding: ‘he’s trash lmao.’

‘All that time to end up with that sH๏τ,’ another claimed, ‘Today’s basketball is broken man. smh.’ 

‘Horrible sH๏τ selection,’ a fourth chimed in. ‘Might as well have been out of bounds.’

Meanwhile, another questioned: ‘Why was the ball in his hand? Are there really no better players on Lakers?’ 

Sports analyst Skip Bayless, who has been a longtime critic of LeBron’s alleged lack of ability to deliver in crucial moments, agreed with the criticism of Bronny, adding: ‘Oh, well, like father like son.’

‘First and foremost, I must address LeBron James Jr.,’ Bayless later expanded in a video shared to X. ‘I tweeted it the first of the game, come out in attack mode, Bronny. Just show some aggression, man. Just play free, just flash some fire. It’s summer league. You’re sort of unfairly billed, marquee-wise, as matched up against 6’9’ Cooper Flagg.

‘… But early flash-and-dash. … Early quick five points, and then, began to drift, as he did so much in summer league last year.’

Fans blasted James, the eldest son of NBA icon  LeBron James, over the missed sH๏τ 

‘You drifted, you didn’t trust yourself, and you got the switch, and I thought, ‘Just put your head down and go. You’ve got a little crack, just go. If you have to shoot the free throws, you’ve made three out of four in this game. Just do it,” Bayless said.

‘… No, you hesitated, you drifted, you pulled back … and you try to shoot a highly contested, heavily covered step-back 3, and it doesn’t even come close. And I have to conclude, like father, like son.’

James finished with eight points, and sH๏τ 2-of-8 from the field and only 1-of-6 from three.

However, despite the backlash to his missed game winner, James impressed some fans with his excellent defense.