Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is set to begin his first career G League stint with the South Bay Lakers on Saturday against the Salt Lake City Stars.
Lakers: Bronny James is set to get first run in the G League on Saturday
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on Thursday afternoon (h/t Yahoo Sports’ Ian Casselberry):
“The Lakers today assigned Bronny James to their NBA G League affiliate, South Bay, where he’s expected to debut vs. Salt Lake City on Saturday, sources said. James will be on Lakers roster vs. 76ers Friday, then rejoin South Bay.”
James, 20, is averaging one points, 0.5 assists, and 0.3 steals per game on the young campaign. The USC product made his highly-anticipated NBA debut in the Lakers’ home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22. He played 2:41 in that contest.
Though James made history with his father and Lakers superstar LeBron James as being the first father-son duo to play in the league together, on the same team at that, playing time has come few and far between for him. The younger James has not seen any more than 5:16 in any of the four games he’s appeared in, and has four DNPs on his resume as well.
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James will play home games in the G League and away games with the Lakers
Now, the Ohio native will get a chance to stay warm and get invaluable experience in the G League. Casselberry reports that Bronny will split time between Los Angeles’ G League affiliate and the Lakers’ NBA squad. He will play home games for South Bay and be available to play for L.A. under Lakers head coach JJ Redick when South Bay hits the road.
The younger James has shown the potential to be an effective on-ball defender, outside shooter, and high IQ team player dating back to 2024 Summer League. It is the Lakers’ hope that increased repetitions will allow him to refine his game and grow as the season progresses. Bronny will be active for Los Angeles’ matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at home before transitioning to South Bay.
