All eyes were on the South Bay Lakers on Saturday as the 2024-25 G League season tipped-off with Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James beginning his assignment. Earlier this month, the Lakers revealed their G League plan for Bronny to get him live game reps.
Bronny scored the first points of South Bay’s opening night game against the Salt Lake City Stars, in front of a sold-out crowd. South Bay ended up defeating Salt Lake, 110-96, and predictably, social media lit up with reactions to Bronny’s debut.
Some fans did not hold back when assessing Bronny James’ G League debut with the South Bay Lakers.
Others expressed concern over how he might be perceived if he doesn’t play well in the G League
And yet others were able to see development in his game since summer league and preseason.
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Bronny ended up finishing with six points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot. He did have five turnovers, however. He shot 2-of-9 from the field and was 0-of-4 from the three-point line.
It’s a marathon though, not a sprint, and Bronny’s rookie season was always going to be a work in progress. He only played one season of college basketball at USC amid recovery from a cardiac arrest scare the summer before his freshman year.
He declared for the NBA Draft and had a strong showing at the draft combine. The Lakers ended up selecting him with the No. 55 overall pick in the draft. Bronny signed a four-year, $7.8 million rookie scale contract with the first two years being guaranteed.
Bronny was always going to spend most of his on-court reps this season in the G League. He made NBA history on opening night of the NBA season when he and LeBron James became the first father and son duo to appear in a game together. He scored his first career NBA points during the Lakers’ recent five-game road trip.
David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.
