A lot was overshadowed by Bam Adebayo tonight, not limited to Jaylen Brown’s second career ejection, Victor Wembanyama shoving Jayson Tatum, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ unpredictable 120-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. But what couldn’t be missed by the Internet is Bronny James and his apparent mood tonight.

The Lakers secured a commanding victory over the Wolves on Tuesday night, led by a 31-11-11 triple-double performance from Luka Doncic and 31 points from Austin Reaves. While the Lakers moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference standings, the conversation online quickly shifted away from the box score toward a viral clip of Bronny James on the bench.

After Adou Thiero and Bronny were recalled from the G-League, both present at Crypto.com Arena tonight and ha a couple of empty minutes each.  At one point, cameras caught him with a noticeably vacant, wide-eyed expression mid-game.

Austin Reaves looked extremely animated next to him in comparison. And all he was doing was watching the game. They could make the ‘GIF and JPG’ meme in real life. Bronny looked down, he didn’t blink, didn’t even twitch and he wasn’t paying attention to game. It looked like Joey Tribbiani’s ‘Smell the fart’ acting (FRIENDS fans would just know).

It’s not uncommon for players to daze out on the bench though it’s recommended they pay attention to the proceedings. But this is the son and teammate of LeBron James. So, of course, it became a talking point on the Internet.

The sophomore guard has seen limited action at the NBA level this season, averaging 2.1 points in just over seven minutes per contest. In Tuesday’s matchup, he logged a brief two-minute appearance during garbage time, recording one assist but no points. He’s had relative success in the G-League but the constant commute between South Bay and the parent club has been an unpleasant lesson in the Lakers’ indecision. 

However, instead of the usual commentary on Bronny’s undeveloped game, it was his static, tranced-out look on the sideline that ignited a flurry of speculation among the Lakers faithful.

The Internet has wild theories on Bronny James’ trance

After the clip of Bronny’s expression, zoomed in and replayed, hit social media, the reaction was immediate. Fans questioned the young guard’s state of mind during the broadcast. “What did Bronny consume before the game bro 😭” was a common refrain among viewers who found his stoic, unblinking gaze unsettling.

One person took a more humorous route to answer that question by suggesting it might be “Ayton’s crunk juice” that had the young James staring into the abyss. To the uninitiated, during the ‘Clint Capela’ saga, the Lakers staff revealed they labeled Deandre Ayton’s water with ‘DA’s crunk juice’ as a psychological motivation tactic. It came with a tagline – “Drink this to unleash the beast.” But it didn’t specify the Wednesday Addams eyes were a side effect.

Some under this clip wondered if the pressure of his fluctuating role between the G-League and the main roster was taking a toll, with one fan simply asking, “Is he trippin?” while others joked he has a newfound intensity thanks to a certain parasitic alien. “He has venom.” A good few GIFs of the Marvel anti-villain abounded too.

Despite the bizarre optics, Bronny’s brief playing time included a disciplined moment that some fans found refreshing in light of recent league controversies. “Even Bronny James dribbled out the shotclock up 14 with 1 second between the clock and shotclock. That’s more respectable than Bam’s 83.”

Among the many criticisms about Bam Adebayo’s 83 points tonight, he remained in the game and kept scoring in last quarter even though the game was unoficially called in Miami Heat’s favor. Then again, LeBron James claimed he told Bronny that Bam’s gong to have 80 tonight. Maybe Bronny was thinking about his dad’s spot on prophecy as the news reached the Lakers arena.

Ultimately, while the vacant expression remains a mystery, his supporters continue to believe in his potential as he navigates his development. Even if he looked lost in thought on the bench, his presence still commands attention, as evidenced by a fan who noted, “Not usually good when you see Bronny at the scoring table against you…” indicating that even in a developmental year, the “Bronny Effect” is alive and well in Los Angeles.