Bronny James, the Los Angeles Lakers’ rookie, made his debut in the G League on Saturday night, helping the South Bay Lakers secure a win against the Salt Lake City Stars in their season opener.
Although his stats weren’t impressive, scoring just six points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-4 from three), with four assists, three rebounds, two steals, one block, and five turnovers in 31 minutes, his presence was still felt. The game, held at the UCLA Health Training Center, was sold out, and the crowd, especially the kids, chanted Bronny’s name while wearing his jersey.
Salt Lake coach Steve Wojciechowski acknowledged the excitement surrounding Bronny, saying, “I mean, this doesn’t normally happen after a G League game. Obviously, with Bronny there’s a boatload of excitement and there should be. It’s one of the great stories in basketball.
When you see him out there, it’s exciting. It’s exciting for the G League, and it brings eyeballs to our league. And we have one of the best leagues in the world.
Maybe the third-best league in the world, after the NBA and EuroLeague. And it’s really the future stars of the game. His story is bringing attention not just to South Bay but the league in general and for the guys who play in the league.”
As expected for most second-round rookies, Bronny will likely move between the G League and the NBA this season. When he does play for South Bay, there will be plenty of excitement around his games, and he is ready for it.
“I’ve seen all the buzz from me going to the G,” Bronny 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 not putting up huge numbers, Bronny was happy with his performance. “It felt pretty good to go out there and just play my game,” he said. “Not much difference. I was just playing basketball. It felt good.”
While many came to watch Bronny, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell, the game also featured strong performances from other Lakers G League players like Quincy Olivari and Maxwell Lewis. Wojciechowski mentioned that Bronny’s story is bringing attention to the G League, and other players are benefiting from the extra exposure.
According to reports, Bronny is only expected to play in home games for the South Bay Lakers this season, as he balances his schedule with the Los Angeles Lakers.
