Bronny James has been facing scrutiny over his role on the new Los Angeles Lakers roster. Yet, for the second time in the past two weeks, the 21-year-old got a shoutout from a Purple and Gold teammate. They’re seeing a different side of his game, one that extends well beyond the hardwood. So, where does James stand eye-to-eye with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves? Hint: it’s LeBron’s favorite as well.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ latest $52 million recruit, Sandro Mamukelashvili, revealed that his teammates have embraced golf this offseason. It’s clear that, among the group, Reaves has become the best (more on that later). Mamu was then asked the next obvious question: who is second best?

“So, I’ve been hearing a lot about Bronny,” the American-Georgian forward said on ESPN LA. “They say he’s really, really good, and he actually plays a lot. So, I haven’t really seen him play, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about him. So, I’m kind of looking forward to seeing the Luka-Austin-Bronny tournament.”

James is actually an underrated competitor, and this isn’t the first time it’s come up. Back in September 2025, he joined YouTube golf creator Grant Horvath for a challenge video. The then-20-year-old said he had been golfing for four months. Horvath, who had nearly 1.5 million subscribers, was impressed by his swing. It became more interesting when Bronny revealed his best 18-hole score was 81!

That number quickly raised eyebrows among golf fans. An 81 is achievable for strong amateurs, but reaching it after only four months appears unusual. So Mamu wants to see the young Lakers guard go up against Reaves and Doncic, who have built a strong reputation in golf. How good are they, though?

Reaves has turned golf into a serious side pursuit. He competes at the American Century Championship each year, placing T13 in 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile, his golf-centric Hillbilly Bogey brand with Trent Swaim keeps growing. Their YouTube content also captures celebrity matchups, including time with Stephen Curry, giving Reaves another entertaining lane beyond basketball.

Earlier this offseason, Reaves even said that talking with his agents on the phone for five to six hours a day was “kind of annoying” because it interrupted his golf. The Lakers star revealed he’d answer their calls, put them on speaker, throw the phone on the ground, and continue playing.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic is fairly new to the sport (a rare line in 2026). He credits LeBron and Reaves for getting him into golf. A Topgolf visit changed everything, giving him a relaxing yet “addicting” hobby that became part of his routine. Soon, the Lakers star found himself hooked, even congratulating Scottie Scheffler on his second FedEx Cup.

Doncic’s enthusiasm has grown so much that he now aims to play daily. On some days, the Slovenian even completes 36 holes, spending nearly eight hours on the course! But he isn’t alone. Just recently at Pechanga, Bronny said he’s been spending a lot of time on the greens, and his passion for it “came out of nowhere.”

“I think just hitting a couple good shots out there, it’s a different feeling, and it’s something you can’t recreate,” Bronny told Mason & Ireland. “You hit that good shot, and you’re like, ‘Dang, that’s why I’m out here. Coming back tomorrow to hit one of those.'”

Interestingly, Mamu isn’t the only one praising Bronny’s golf skills. In August, after declaring himself the best golfer in the building, Reaves called LeBron’s son the “second-best” player. Reaves also admitted he “would like to think” he’d beat Stephen Curry himself. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt was labeled the “worst golfer.”

When asked to describe LeBron’s game, Reaves said, “Learning!”

Believe it or not, LeBron locked in on golf only after he turned 40, after deciding to do something “uncomfortable” he had never done before. The former Lakers star even said he’ll pursue chess next after he gets tired of golf, which is highly unlikely because Michael Jordan and Charles have been playing for decades.

Golf unsurprisingly followed the Lakers when Doncic hosted his minicamp in Slovenia. It wasn’t a surprise because Reaves’ intentions to “kick his as*” in golf were clear before they even boarded the flight. Whether that happened or not didn’t exactly make it to social media, but some other mockery did.

The Lakers posted a clip titled “AR x LUKA Golf Day” in which the two LA attackers teed up alongside each other. Reaves, who swung first, appreciated Doncic’s follow-up shot and called it “nice,” but instead of taking the compliment, the Slovenian responded, “I know.”

So maybe NBA fans, precisely the Lakers ones, will get to see a golf face-off between Bronny, Doncic, and Reaves in the near future now that Mamu has planted the idea. But for now, all focus will be on the upcoming 2026-27 season.

One of Doncic’s priorities this offseason was to bring the Lakers group together. It is safe to say that the Slovenia trip he organized has received organic praise from multiple teammates, mostly recently, including Sandro Mamukelashvili.

“First of all, shoutout to Luka, I think the organization was amazing, the way they planned everything,” Mamu said. “They showed us a lot of great places, and Ljubljana is a really, really nice city. Plus, it was great for the new team. It was a bunch of new guys on the team, and all of us being together, it didn’t even feel like [there were] a lot of new guys. We all gelled really well. Everybody was positive.”

The individual with the most to prove next season is Bronny. His father is no longer in LA, and James Jr. will need to make the leap to an established rotation spot. He played a career-high 375 minutes in his second NBA season and improved as a perimeter defender and off-ball threat. But that is nowhere near enough if Bronny cannot give JJ Redick the reason to play him nightly.