Bronny James' Absence From G League in Mexico City Leaves Fans Disappointed

Matt Levine | Jan 5, 2025

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The South Bay Lakers took on the Mexico City Capitanes two times over the weekend but one player was missed from the action. That would be rookie guard Bronny James who spent time with the big league club so he didn't travel to Mexico City with the team.

With this, many fans in Mexico City were left disappointed by his absence. One fan even spoke about this fact after the games were over.

“Most of the tickets sold were to see him,” one fan said, according to a translation on X.

¡Fan de los Lakers habla sobre la ausencia de Bronny James! 🗣️

“La mayoría de los boletos que se vendieron fueron para verlo a él” 🎙️

South Bay Lakers visita la Ciudad de México para enfrentar a Capitanes sin la presencia del hijo de LeBron James. 🏀👑#Lakers #NBA #Fyp pic.twitter.com/nDg6AHtHXB

— Deportrece (@SomosDeportrece) January 4, 2025

James has gained massive popularity around the world and being with the Lakers only heightens his brand. Being the son of NBA superstar LeBron James also doesn't hurt and Bronny has been in the spotlight for his entire life.

But the rookie hasn't let that get to him and he has instead just kept his head down and played basketball. In recent games in the G League, Bronny has started to put things together and has shown why the Lakers decided to draft him.

LeBron has even commented on the growth of Bronny and how he has prepared throughout.

"He's looking more and more comfortable. He's just going out there and just playing off instinct. That's how he's always played. You know, I think he said after one of the games that mentally he's starting to feel better after the incident. Everything is starting to come back in shape, to come back in form."

Bronny has been shuffling back and forth between the G League and the NBA as the Lakers put a plan together for him. Los Angeles believes that he can eventually turn into an impactful player at the NBA level and so far, Bronny has started to show some real development.

It was a challenge at first for the young guard but he has started to round into form. If Bronny can continue to put up strong performances, he could end up spending more time in the NBA and less time with the G League team.

But the disappointment of the fans in Mexico City only shows the kind of pull that Bronny has built up. Bronny has done well so far but there is still work to be done for him to get to where he needs to be.

More Ball Around: Longtime Former NBA Guard Departs EuroLeague Team

Knicks Guard Joins Shortlist of Players to Play in NBA, G League in Same Day