Lakers' Bronny James Get Honest About Playing in G League As Rookie

How does the No. 55 pick feel about suiting up for South Bay?

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Los Angeles Lakers selected former USC Trojans reserve point guard Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in June's 2024 NBA Draft, it was seen by basketball pundits as something of a flier. James, son of 20-time All-NBA Lakers combo forward LeBron, was the third guard on a lowly 15-18 Cardinal and Gold club that missed the NCAA Tournament and compelled a mass player and coach exodus.

Last year, Bronny James played behind starters Isaiah Collier — who had been seen as a lottery pick heading into the 2023-24 collegiate season, but was instead selected at No. 29 by the Utah Jazz — and Boogie Ellis — currently on a training camp deal with the Sacramento Kings. He missed the first month of play while recuperating from a cardiac arrest incurred during a July workout at the Galen Center. The 19-year-old out of Sierra Canyon School appeared in just 25 contests last season (six starts), averaging 4.8 points on a .366/.267/.676 slash line, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks across 19.3 minutes of action.

Bronny is expected to suit up early in the year alongside his dad. In so doing, the two generations of James will make NBA history by being the first father-son tandem to ever play in a simultaneous league game. But he's projected to log significant time, perhaps most of his rookie season, with the Lakers' G League affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers, so that he may develop more fully. He is a fairly raw, defense-first prospect, but could eventually become the point guard equivalent of Tony Allen. Some have argued Bronny needed more seasoning in college before taking the NBA leap.

In a fresh conversation with ESPN Los Angeles 710 AM, James expressed an openness to suiting up for South Bay.

“I know that I’m not going to be thrown into the rotation immediately. So, I’ve accepted that role and I’m coming in and getting better every day and learning from the vets and people that are going to be receiving heavy minutes. I have no problem sitting back and learning these first couple years and then building up from there,” Bronny James said.

The Lakers' other top draft pick, former Tennessee Volunteers All-American shooting guard Dalton Knecht, is seen as a potential rotation piece right away. But his key attribute — 3-point shooting — is expected to translate pretty easily at the next level.

More Lakers: LeBron James Says He Has 'A Lot' Left in the Tank Ahead of 22nd NBA Season