“Messed with my immune system” Bronny James’ honest admission about frustrating setback that still lingers ahead of sophomore season 

Throughout this year’s Las Vegas NBA Summer League, Bronny James averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds across three games. The impressive stretch from the sophomore was viewed by many fans and analysts as the start of what could be a big year for James.

As he revealed in an interview with ESPN, however, he’s continued to deal with lingering effects from his cardiac arrest two years ago. Leading up to the California Classic, Bronny James dealt with an illness that forced him to miss a week’s worth of workouts. When he returned, his conditioning suffered.

“I get kind of sick easier now. Which is kind of weird, but I think it messed with my immune system a little bit. So, I would have times where I have to sit out, and that conditioning that I’m working on just goes away in that week of me being out.”

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Lakers athletic trainer Mike Mancias was quoted by ESPN as saying that it's common for championship-calibre players to deal with conditioning issues after an illness. Their hope heading into the 2025-26 season is that Bronny can take the next step in his development by taking his conditioning to the next level.

South Bay Lakers coach breaks down importance of conditioning for Bronny James

After being drafted last summer, Bronny James spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with the South Bay Lakers, LA's G League affiliate.

There, Bronny was coached by Zach Guthrie, who emphasized the importance of conditioning. As he explained in the aforementioned ESPN article, he vowed to let Bronny be South Bay's starting point guard so long as he showed him hustle on the defensive end.

He explained to ESPN:

"His conditioning is like a basketball 401(k). It is all about daily deposits. And sometimes, when you don't make as much money or you have a life event, you're going to have to take a little out of your 401(k), or you're not putting in as much."

"Yeah, there's going to be sometimes he's sick or this or that, but if he just stays vigilant and stays about his work, I think he will be fine. That 401(k) will be great because he's been putting in the work starting now, starting in the offseason, focusing on his diet, focusing on sleep, focusing on all those things."

As Lakers coach JJ Redick indicated, he wants Bronny James to emulate high-motor players like Davion Mitchell and TJ McConnell, who he says find ways to be factors on both ends of the court through their hard-nosed play.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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