The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned rookie Bronny James to the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate, and sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania that he is expected to debut for the team Saturday against Salt Lake City. The 20-year-old has played no more than five minutes in a single game with the Lakers so far this season.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James to play in only G League home games, split time between the Lakers and South Bay
James will be on the Lakers’ roster for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, then will rejoin South Bay, according to Charania’s sources. The organization’s current plan is for James to play in only G League home games as he splits time between the Lakers and South Bay.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said last month that 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,” Redick added.
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
James and his representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, discussed development throughout his pre-draft process with NBA teams, leading to the guard considering G League play.
According to Charania’s report, those sources said Paul advocated for a standard contract instead of a two-way deal before the draft. However, he and James were still fully open to the development process.
Each NBA team can sign a maximum of three players to two-way contracts. Center Christian Koloko and guards Quincy Olivari and Armel Traore currently occupy the Lakers’ two-way spots.
More importantly, two-way players are ineligible for the NBA playoffs. The only way for a two-way player to become eligible for the postseason is if a team converts the player’s two-way deal into a standard contract.
Bronny, LeBron James made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game at the same time
A few players drafted in the second round can spend time in the G League in order to build on their NBA development and hone their skills within their respective teams’ programs.
During the 2023-24 season, 23 of the 28 players selected in the second round of the 2023 draft spent time in the G League. James, the 55th selection in this year’s draft, has appeared in four games this season for the Lakers.
In the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22, Bronny and LeBron made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game at the same time.
“For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as like, case study one, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick told ESPN reporters back in July.
“And as we sort of build out our player development program holistically, he’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”
In 25 games (six starts) at USC, the 6-foot-4 James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 19.3 minutes per contest. As an unfinished product, Bronny will only benefit from spending time with the South Bay Lakers.
