Bronny James’ G League Debut Set For South Bay Lakers

Matt Levine | Nov 7, 2024

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially demoted rookie guard Bronny James to the G-League. He will play for their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

He is scheduled to make his debut on Saturday against Salt Lake City.

NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN reported the news on social media.

The Lakers today assigned Bronny James to their NBA G League affiliate, South Bay, where he’s expected to debut vs. Salt Lake City on Saturday, sources said. James will be on Lakers roster vs. 76ers Friday, then rejoin South Bay. https://t.co/Bj1zP5YO7I

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 7, 2024

The plan all along for the Lakers was to have James switch between the G-League and the NBA as they saw fit. He will only play the home games for South Bay.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed these plans about James moving forward.

"Our plans are always fluid based on real time," Redick said before the game Friday. "I believe we have two guys dressing today that as of yesterday we're not dressing out.

"The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I have talked about that. LeBron's talked about that."

James, the son of NBA legend and current Lakers star LeBron James, has seen all sorts of criticism throughout his short career. He isn't fully ready to be a full-time player in the NBA so Los Angeles seems intent on giving him the time he needs to develop.

LeBron opened up about what they've seen so far from his son and how he is looking forward to watching him continue to grow.

"Just [looking forward to] seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player, no matter if it's here with us or if it's down with the G League team, and him continuing to get better and better and better," LeBron said. "His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us. And we want to hold him accountable, and he's going to hold us accountable. And if we all do that, we all get better, because we're all one team. We're a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us."

Bronny has strong defensive instincts and it has shown on the floor. His offensive game is still a work in progress but the Lakers are allowing him to grow.

If they can be patient with him, Bronny could eventually turn into an impactful player at the NBA level. It won't be easy but this is the first step for his continued growth in the league.

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