Like father, like son, maybe. The eldest son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, Bronny James, made his G League road debut and showed up and showed out on Thursday night for the South Bay Lakers, and it seems that all he needed was a little time out of his dad’s shadow to mature into his own person, both on and off the court. James put up 30 points and added three rebounds and two assists in by far the best performance of his young professional career.
Despite James’ big night, the Lakers lost to the Valley Suns, 106-100.
It did not take James, who is 20 years old, long to catch fire, as he put his perimeter shot on by drilling a pair of pull-up 3-pointers in the early going. He showed off an impressive offensive repertoire that included soaring through the air like Michael Jordan for an alley-oop. This season he is now averaging 14 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the G League.
After a shortened freshman campaign at USC, in which he never really got up to speed following his return from a cardiac arrest, James declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. As expected, he was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the second round, and signed a four-year, $7.9 million deal.
On opening night, he checked into the Lakers’ matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves alongside his dad, LeBron James, and in doing so they made history, becoming the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together. They later played together in their hometown Cleveland when the Lakers took on the Cavaliers and Bronny scored his first career points on a fourth-quarter jumper. Otherwise, Bronny has taken the floor during mop up duty in the NBA. There is no expectation that will change any time soon.
Embed from Getty ImagesBronny, who was recently sidelined with a heel issue, will see most of his significant playing time in the G League, though there is no definitive plan set in stone.
“That’s going to be fluid,” South Bay Lakers president Joey Buss told ESPN. “We’re going to do what’s best for his development. There’s going to be a lot of things that we do for all the assignment players, and decisions are made based off where they are, based off the injury status, based off how many bodies they need for practice. There’s a lot of variables. So, nothing unique for Bronny. He’s just kind of in that system.”
Early in the season, it was reported that Bronny would only play in home games with the South Bay Lakers, whose home arena doubles as the NBA team’s practice facility. The organization has obviously reversed course on that decision, though it remains unclear when or if Bronny will hit the road again.
James’ father, LeBron, will miss a second straight game Friday when the Lakers take on Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. He’s dealing with foot soreness, according to the team.
