Bronny James Makes NBA History Despite Lack of On-Court Success

The L.A. rookie has had a bumpy run so far.

Nov 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) runs past Philadelphia 76ers guard Lester Quinones (25) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers rookie combo guard Bronny James has been a box office and revenue boon for the team's bottom line.

Per Marca.com, Bronny James has sold 500,000 of his No. 9 rookie season jerseys thus far, eclipsing his father LeBron James' previous record for rookie jerseys sold. At $100 a pop, that translates to $50 million in earnings for L.A. and its partners.

As the eldest son of one of the greatest players ever, the 20-year-old Bronny James was always going to ride into the NBA on a wave of hype. He and his dad, 39, made league history during L.A.'s October 22 season opener, when the team bested the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-103. In that game, when the two generations of James men took the hardwood together, they made league history in another way, becoming the first-ever father-son tandem to play simultaneously in a game.

His production, however, has left much to be desired on the court.

The 6-foot-2 pro, selected with the No. 55 pick late in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft out of USC this past June, has appeared in just six games for Los Angeles. Across those contests, he's averaging 0.7 points on a .167/.000/1.000 slash line, 0.3 assists, 0.2 rebounds and 0.2 steals in 2.7 minutes a night. Hardly earth-shattering numbers for the 12-9 Lakers.

Team president and general manager Rob Pelinka did hit it out of the park with his other rookie draft pick this year, however.

Pelinka selected former All-American University of Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the first round. Knecht has emerged as an obvious Rookie of the Year contender, along with No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks, No. 16 pick Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers, and No. 39 pick Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 6-foot-6 small forward/shooting guard is averaging 11.1 points on .471/.403/.773 shooting splits, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while appearing in all 22 games for Los Angeles, and has already ascended to a starting role with the club.

Bronny James, however, seems likely to spend more of his time with the Lakers' G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, than he does to make an impact on L.A.'s 2024-25 regular season. The Lakers intend to play him with South Bay for the latter team's home games.

In just two bouts for South Bay, the younger James is averaging 5.0 points on .211/.000/1.000 shooting splits, 3.0 assists (against 3.0 turnovers), 2.5 boards, 1.5 swipes and 1.0 rejections across 28.5 minutes a night.

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