Following the completion of the Los Angeles Lakers five-game road trip, rookie Bronny James will join the team’s G-League affiliate.
James was always expected to split his rookie season between the Lakers – with his father LeBron – and the team’s South Bay G-League squad. James, the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of USC, featured for just two minutes and 41 seconds in the Lakers’ opening night victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He missed both of his shots and grabbed a single offensive rebound in a comfortable victory. James checked into the game alongside his father LeBron to a thunderous round of applause.
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“Hollywood couldn’t write a better script so we helped them write it and brought it to them. HISTORY WAS MADE! #JamesGang,” LeBron James posted on Instagram after the game.
Bronny will remain with the Lakers for the team’s next seven games: home games against the Phoenix Suns (on Friday) and Sacramento Kings, and a five-game road trip featuring matchups against the Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies.
The team’s visit to Cleveland should be an emotional one: Bronny James was born in Akron, Ohio, in 2004 following his father’s rookie year.
LeBron James holds a young Bronny after the Cavaliers’ Game Six win in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals (
Image:
Getty Images)
It’s unclear whether Bronny will continue to feature for Los Angeles: he looked like he physically could not handle Timberwolves forward Julius Randle during a post-up. This year was always supposed to be a developmental one for the 20-year-old. Most players selected 55th overall do not make an immediate contribution at the NBA level.
LeBron was candid when asked last month about the prospect of his son playing in the G-League. “Just [looking forward to] seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player no matter if it’s here with us or if it’s down with the G League team,” he admitted.
“His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us. And we want to hold him accountable, and he’s going to hold us accountable. And if we all do that, we all get better, because we’re all one team. We’re a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us.”
The South Bay Lakers start their season on November 9 when they host the Salt Lake City Stars at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California.
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