Los Angeles Lakers introduce draft picks Bronny James, Dalton Knecht

In the first of what's expected to be many media mobs surrounding Bronny James, the Lakers' second-round draft pick took the stage alongside first-round choice Dalton Knecht today as the team introduced its newest players during a news conference at its El Segundo training center.  

With Lakers superstar LeBron James standing in the back of the gathering, ceding the spotlight, the 19-year-old Bronny described his express journey from USC to the NBA as "surreal" -- while minimizing the pressure he's feeling about teaming up with his superstar dad to become the first father-son teammates in NBA history.  

For his part,  Knecht -- drafted No. 17 overall to Bronny James' No. 55 -- said, "coming here to a historic franchise, it's going to be fun. Can't wait to get to work."  

As Tuesday's gathering wound down, the two rookies donned their yellow-and-purple Laker jerseys for the first time -- Bronny wearing No. 9  with "James Jr." on the back, and Knecht No. 4.

"Everything's been surreal, trying to take it all in,'' Bronny said regarding his emotions since the Lakers drafted him last Thursday.

"I'm extremely grateful for everything that (coach) JJ (Redick) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) have given to me. I've just been excited to get to work."  

He also expressed confidence he'll be able to handle the pressure of playing alongside his father, the NBA's all-time scoring leader, who had spoken often of his hope to share an NBA court with his son.

"It's for sure an amplified amount of pressure,'' Bronny said. "I've already seen it -- social media and ... the internet and stuff talking about how I might not deserve an opportunity. But, you know, I've been dealing
with stuff like this my whole life. So it's nothing different, but it's more amplified for sure. But I'll get through it."  

Asked if he's had any conversations yet with his father about what he can expect in the NBA after just one abbreviated season playing for USC, Bronny said, "We haven't gone too deep into that stuff yet, especially since we haven't even started summer league yet."

"But,'' he added, "just stuff that he's been telling me my whole life, just having that work ethic and getting your work in and listening to your coaches and being coachable -- something he's driven into my head my whole life."

Redick -- himself a rookie coach after being hired only recently, after UConn coach Dan Hurley turned down the Lakers job -- stressed that he and Pelinka did not "give" Bronny any opportunity the youngster did not earn.

"I want to clarify one thing that you just said, which is Rob and I did not give Bronny anything,'' Redick said. ``Bronny has earned this. Bronny talks about his hard work. Bronny has earned this through hard work.   

"... We view Bronny as like Case Study 1, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there is a lot to like about his game. ... He's going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player."

The younger James, who played one abbreviated season at USC after recovering from a heart issue, had worked out only for the Lakers and Phoenix Suns ahead of the draft and expressed his desire to team up with his dad in Los Angeles.

In his lone season with the Trojans, Bronny was limited to 490 minutes over 25 games with six starts. He missed the first eight games of the season while recovering from a medical procedure to treat a congenital heart defect.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound guard averaged 4.8 points per game.   

Asked what compelled him to enter the draft, and whether playing with his dad was a factor, Bronny said, "Rob has told me there's a great development system here, so I just want to come in and put my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad, but that's always there ... but that wasn't a main focus."  

He also said he feels his game can grow in the NBA after his heart scare at USC limited opportunities to hone his game.   

"The time that I had off I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more,'' he said. "Yeah, I just feel like I've been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn't given that much of an opportunity at USC."

Redick said he was surprised that Knecht -- a guard from Tennessee -- was still available in last Wednesday's first round when the Lakers picked 17th.

"We didn't think Dalton would be available at 17 but he provides something that we just don't have," Redick said. "He's a movement shooter. He can obviously play off the bounce. We viewed him very highly on our draft board, and he can score at all three levels. ... There was a lot of things to be excited about with Dalton. I'm excited to coach him.''   

For his part, Pelinka called Tuesday "a day to be incredibly grateful for and incredibly excited about."

"Most importantly, 'cause we're launching the NBA careers of two fine young men, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht,'' he said. "This is Day 1. We're gonna go from here to taking these chairs away, taking the cameras away and having a practice, and getting ready for summer league."