In the G League, for now, neither. Bronny James made his debut with a discreet performance with the South Bay Lakers, the Los Angeles franchise’s affiliate team, to which the point guard has been sent to get minutes and continue his progression. In the win over the Salt Lake City Stars (110-96), he was a starter and finished with six points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and five turnovers in 31 minutes.
Bronny struggled with his shooting. He scored the first of his shots when only 43 seconds of the game had been played. He would score his second basket in the second quarter. He finished with a poor 2/9, including 0/4 from three-point range, and some seemingly simple layups after getting under the hoop past his opponents. He also made a free throw, which in the G League this season can be worth two points.
South Bay Lakers guard Bronny James dribbles during the first half of an NBA G League basketball game against the Salt Lake City Stars, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif.
“I was glad to see Bronny come out and show the world that he can play. I’m a big advocate for him to be recognized as a great player and the criticism he gets is unfair,” praised his teammate Quincy Olivari. Zach Guthrie, his coach, felt that he had done “a fantastic job. His game was selfless and he played with great fluidity. Our perimeter players, including him, defended at exceptionally high levels.”
There was excitement to see the G League debut of Bronny, who is 6-foot-1 and 20 years old. The South Bay Lakers play at the El Segundo facility, where the Lakers usually train, and where the only jersey that could be purchased before the game was that of James Jr. Much of the James clan was there, with LeBron at the helm. The point guard’s mother, sister and grandmother were also there. And part of the Lakers’ roster, with Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell. Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ general manager, was also in attendance.
Five games in the NBA
Bronny, chosen 55th in the NBA draft by the Lakers, has so far played five games with the Los Angeles team and in the first of them made history with LeBron by becoming the first father-son duo to play on the same team in the league. The visit to the Cavaliers was also emotional, as he received the affection of the fans in the city where he was born.
His averages in his so far brief NBA career have been 0.8 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists. Such meager performances led the franchise to send him to the G League. It was a possibility that both LeBron and coach JJ Redick had talked about for some time. The youngster is not yet ready for the NBA and in the affiliate team he will have the minutes he needs to improve and progress. Will it be enough to return to the Lakers?
