Bronny James Receives 'Ultimate Insult' From Pistons Player Amid New Lakers Setback

Bronny James was involved in a bizarre incident during the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA match against Detroit Pistons.

The Lakers lost 128-106 against the Pistons, who opted to wind down the clock by choosing not to shoot in the game's final 30 seconds.

Point guard Daniss Jenkins held on to the basketball for a number of seconds, appearing to be counting down the seconds before the end of the shot clock timer.

But he instead decided to throw the ball directly at James, who was brought off the bench to replace Luka Doncic with the scores at 96-122.

James, the son of NBA legend LeBron, didn't see the ball coming towards him, however, and it bounced past him and into touch.

Regardless of what Jenkins had done, the Pistons point guard would have had a turnover in any case.

Daniss Jenkins randomly throws the ball at Bronny James at the end of the shot clock, in garbage time, catching Bronny off-guard pic.twitter.com/sF8AkPLJxm

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 31, 2025

The Lakers bench, therefore, watched on in bemusement at the incident, before James picked the ball up and resumed play.

Bronny has been rotated between playing in the NBA and playing in the developmental G League for the South Bay Lakers.

However, he has not made a significant impact during his G League appearances, and has largely been restricted to brief cameos in the NBA across 2025.

His contracted salary is guaranteed for next year, but it remains unclear as to whether the Lakers will keep him on - especially given there are doubts over his father LeBron's future.

LeBron picked up his player option for 2025/26, worth $52.5 million, to allow him to play for the Lakers for another season.

But it looks increasingly likely that the 41-year-old is in the midst of his last season with the Lakers.

Speaking in September about his potential retirement, he said (via Sky Sports): "However the journey plays out this year, I'm super-invested. Because I don't know where the end is.

"I know it's a lot sooner than later. It's pretty cool to know how many miles I've got and still be able to play at a high level.

"For me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality, too."