Bronny James To Play For Lakers’ G League South Bay Team

Bronny James will now play for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ G League affiliate, South Bay.

ESPN reports that the rookie NBA player will make his debut with the minor league squad in a Saturday exhibition against Salt Lake City. However, Bronny will be on the Lakers roster for their game on Friday, squaring off against the underperforming Philadelphia 76ers.

Sources close to the Lakers state that Bronny will only play for South Bay during their home games. James will then “shuttle” between both teams during an undisclosed period of time. While it may come as a shock to some fans, Lakers head coach JJ Redick explained that this was the plan they had for Bronny “since day one.”

Bronny James’ situation isn’t unique to him, either. As he was selected to the Lakers with the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, it was expected that he would get some burn in the G League. Historically speaking, players selected late in the second tend to spend time in the minor league to get additional coaching, structure in their respective team’s culture, and gain game reps.

Bronny James has only played in four games this season for the Los Angeles Lakers out of the eight games so far. The Lakers are currently 10th in the Western Conference with their 4-4 record.

As previously reported, LeBron James and his son, Bronny, became the first father-son duo to take the court together in NBA history during the league’s home opener in October as the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the game, both father and son spoke about the moment and how much it meant to them to share a piece of history. “That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget,” LeBron told ESPN during a post-game presser. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”

“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”