Lakers Assigning Bronny James To G League For South Bay Home Games

November 7, 2024

As expected, the Lakers have assigned rookie guard Bronny James to their G Leaguer affiliate, as relayed by Shams Charania of ESPN.

This was always the intended move ahead of the Lakers’ five-game road trip, which just concluded. Bronny scored his first and only NBA field goal in a blowout road loss to the Cavaliers, not far from Akron, where he was born.

“For now, sources said, the G League plan is for Bronny James to play in only South Bay home games — as he shuttles between both leagues and team manages his time on respective rosters,” Charania wrote.

Shuttling him back and forth will allow LeBron James to remain close to his son in Lakers’ practices and games — as well as help Bronny grow as a player with actual in-game experience in the G League.

Agree or disagree, that’s the plan the Lakers (and LeBron) feels makes the most sense.

Bronny has appeared in four games this season, shooting 1-of-6 from the field and averaging 3.3 minutes. So, like most rookies who are second-round picks, he only sees the court at garbage time.

“James is on a standard NBA contract with the Lakers,” explained Gilbert McGregor of Sporting News. “Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and its Players’ Association, an NBA team may at any time assign a player on a standard contract and less than three years of NBA service to an NBA G League team. As a rookie, James falls within that criteria.

“There is no limit to the number of times James can be assigned to the NBA G League. There, he will play alongside other Lakers on standard contracts, Lakers players on two-way contracts and members of the South Bay Lakers who are on standard G League contracts.”