Bronny James made his G-League debut with the South Bay Lakers, and he sold out the arena, which was around 700 tickets. Some of his teammates came to support him, and even his family, and James knew that he would get a buzz from his debut.
“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.”
James finished the game with six points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block in 31 minutes. The Lakers announced that James will play in South Bay home games, and will shuttle between both leagues, as each team will manage his time on their rosters.
James has seen time on the NBA court, but it's only been for a few minutes. In the G-League, he'll be able to get more playing time while also developing his skills.
South Bay Lakers speak highly of Bronny James
After Bronny James' G-League debut, his teammate, Quincy Olivari, showed love to him.
“I was just happy to see him get out there and show the world that he can play,” Olivari said. “I think I'm a big advocate on pushing that he's a great basketball player, and that the criticism he gets is unfair.”
South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie had great things to say about James as well after his debut.
“I think he did a great job dictating on the ball,” Guthrie said. “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.”
The more James plays, the more things will become easier for him on the court, and the hope that one day he can see meaningful minutes on the Lakers.