Bronny James was one of the more speculated storylines coming into this NBA season after being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans across the sport were undoubtedly excited at the prospect of the rookie sharing the court with his father, all-time leading scorer LeBron James, while rocking purple-and-gold.
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Bronny hasn't really had a chance to show out with Showtime this season, however, after the Lakers sent him to their G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, to develop his game for the big stage. Every now and then, the rookie will get a nod to come hang out with the older kids (and his dad) in the NBA. Last Thursday night was one such instance as he joined the Los Angeles Lakers to take on the Portland Trailblazers in Crypto.com Arena.
Bronny watched along with 18,000 as LeBron put on a clinic, posting 38 points on 7-of-10 shooting from behind the arc, leading the Lakers to a 114-106 victory at home. What's more, he got runs himself in the final two minutes of the game with Los Angeles comfortably sitting in the lead.
Exciting as it may be to see the younger James get his shine in the NBA, attending the game on meant he wasn't able to travel with South Bay for their game against the Mexico City Capitanes on Saturday. His absence was certainly felt among fans who attended the game, many of whom did so in anticipation of seeing him play.
"Most of the tickets sold were to see him," one fan said, according to a translation on X.
¡Fan de los Lakers habla sobre la ausencia de Bronny James! 🗣️
“La mayoría de los boletos que se vendieron fueron para verlo a él” 🎙️
South Bay Lakers visita la Ciudad de México para enfrentar a Capitanes sin la presencia del hijo de LeBron James. 🏀👑#Lakers #NBA #Fyp pic.twitter.com/nDg6AHtHXB
— Deportrece (@SomosDeportrece) January 4, 2025
Bronny James is slowly making his mark with South Bay, averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in seven games played in the Tip-Off Tournament. In two regular season games played with the South Bay Lakers, he has put up 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
As the season rages on into the All-Star Weekend it will be interesting to see how, or rather when, the Lakers will use Bronny James going forward.
