Despite being selected as the 55th pick in the second round of the last NBA Draft, Bronny James has been the most talked about rookie in the league this season. However, the Lakers admitted that they always planned for him to play in the G League, despite giving him some minutes in the NBA before seeing him to South Bay.
After his new team’s 110-96 win against the Salt Lake City Stars, the player has already started to gain more confidence in his game, even though some believe he still doesn’t have what it takes. 43 seconds into the game, the 20-year-old dropped in a 17-foot jumper next to the baseline.
“I was just getting a bucket,” Bronny said after the game, having scored his first-ever G League points only seconds into the match. “It got to me, and I just … yeah. I didn’t miss.”
Quincy Olivari on Bronny James playing in the G-League.
“I’m a big advocate on pushing that he’s a great basketball player and that the criticism he gets is unfair.” pic.twitter.com/vhwFUPQ0ng
— Sporting Zealot (@SportingZealot) November 11, 2024
The NBA rookie ended the contest with 6 points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-4 from 3), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 5 turnovers in 31 minutes of play. His new teammate, Quincy Olivari, led the team with 28 points and even assisted James Jr. in his first basket.
“I was just happy to see him get out there and show the world that he can play,” said the Lakers two-way guard about Bronny. “I think I’m a big advocate on pushing that he’s a great basketball player and that the criticism he gets is unfair.”
His newest coach Zach Guthrie, pointed out that LeBron’s eldest son has the potential to be stellar in defense. “I think he did a great job dictating on the ball,” said the tactician who recently replaced Dane Johnson. “He played great, he played unselfishly, he played within the flow of the game. And I thought, like all our guards, we defended at a high level. We talked about dictating. They weren’t comfortable in their offense.”
South Bay sold out the game — around 700 tickets — after just five sellouts in 24 home games last season. “I’ve seen all the buzz from me going to the G,” James said. “It’s just an amazing experience for me to go out and play my game and get some minutes under me. I’m just excited for it.”
Despite some praise after his G League debut, others ripped into him for producing a poor stat line in his first-ever game with South Bay
Just the fact that he’s the son of the all-time NBA scoring leader LeBron James, is reason enough for him to be heavily scrutinized by NBA fans and experts. This is why the 20-year-old has had to deal with criticism during his entire life, but now that he’s a South Bay player he should be able to develop his game at an easier pace.
After he went 2-for-10 on field goals and 0-for-five on 3-pointers on his Saturday night debut, former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl decided to call out the former McDonald’s All-American. “Is Legion Hoops trying to create news by showing Bronny is bad, like everyone knew he would be??” Karl asked. “This ain’t news.”
Even though Karl is well known for hating on the purple and gold, as he lost many crucial games to them during his career, he’s recognized that he’s done with treating them so poorly. This is why back in May he apologized to the Los Angeles fans.
“Dear Lakers Fans, I was not kind towards you this season,” Karl admitted. “I let my Sports Hate go too far. I have deep respect for the Lakers and consider them the greatest sports team of the past 50 years. I’m sorry. Let’s live, learn and love together again. Ok? Coach Karl.”
