Bronny James made his G League debut in front of a packed house at UCLA Health and Training Center on Saturday night.
The South Bay Lakers took on the Salt Lake City Stars in their G League season opener. James, who participated in four games as a part of Los Angeles, took the floor alongside a host of other Lakers youngsters hoping to show out. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and JJ Redick watching on, the significance of the contest was made that much more apparent.
South Bay cruised to a 110-96 victory fueled by impressive showings by Quincy Olivari (28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists) and Maxwell Lewis (27 points, five rebounds). James had a far more muted time on the floor, flashing some of his defensive chops but putting forth a fairly underwhelming offensive display.
James tallied six points, four assists and three rebounds on 2-of-9 shooting (0-of-4 from three). He racked up two steals and a block but also gave the ball away five times.
It was a fairly uneven display for the 20-year old. Then again, that’s to be expected. Even drafted players can struggle out the gate at G League level.
James will get ample opportunities to find his rhythm in the minors. Saturday was simply the start.
Here’s everything you need to know about James’ first G League performance of the year, including his full stats, results and highlights.
SN’s NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
Stars | 15 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 96 |
Lakers | 32 | 26 | 30 | 22 | 110 |
MORE: JJ Redick learning lessons his former coach tried to warn him about the hard way
(All times Eastern)
9:55 p.m.: It looks like James’ day will come to a close. His final line:
9:50 p.m.: Olivari follows up Lewis’ highlight with one of his own! Splashed a triple from the parking lot, his eighth of the game!
9:49 p.m.: Lewis caps off his wondrous scoring outburst with a one-handed windmill. He’s got 27. And there’s still more than five minutes to go.
9:44 p.m.: Olivari and Lewis have combined for 52 thus far. Impressive output from the former Pepperdine and Xavier talents to propel the Lakers to a 25-point advantage.
9:36 p.m.: James had a chance to make magic happen on the 3-on-2 fast break. But his lob effort went wide, resulting in another giveaway, his fourth of the game.
Bronny with the full court pressure gets the steal and NEARLY dunks it on some guys head on the lob
Would have broke the internet for sure if he caught that one pic.twitter.com/yTvpFBTb8m
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) November 10, 2024
9:34 p.m.: James records his first points of the third quarter on the free throw line. Got a hand on an errant pass and appeared destined to collect and assist. However, his teammate attempted a lob in his direction. James couldn’t coral the throw but was fouled on his dismount.
9:24 p.m.: James returns into the contest after a brief spell on the sideline. With South Bay comfortably in control, it will be interesting to see if James is tasked with handling more of the offensive responsibilities.
9:12 p.m.: The third quarter is underway. And once more, it’s the Lewis show; the second-year talent just collected two swats on successive shot attempts before flying down to the other end of the floor and finishing with an acrobatic layup. He’s got 21 thus far.
8:52 p.m.: If the first quarter was defined by Lewis’ scoring, the second has been shaped by Olivari. He’s up to 17, the vast majority of which have come from beyond the arc. Looks like the Lakers have a steady stream of shooters bubbling up in their minor league system.
8:44 p.m.: Lewis continues to impress as the second quarter rolls on. The Pepperdine alum already has 14 points, 12 of which have come from beyond the arc (4-of-6 from three).
8:41 p.m.: And yet, watch the way James snuffed out Isaiah Wong’s shot attempt on the 2-v-1. Impressive sway by the 20-year old, who waited until the last moment to rise up and deny the former Miami (FL) standout.
BRONNY JAMES WITH THE BLOCK
Bronny gets the stop on a 2v1 and it leads to a Mawell Lewis triple
Bronny’s natural defensive awareness is showing consistently in this game pic.twitter.com/RrGbD5Rm9p
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) November 10, 2024
8:39 p.m.: Still plenty of growing pains that James has to endure. Just displaced a pair of defenders with his speed and handle only to blow a wide-open right-handed layup. He hasn’t been all that efficient thus far. Still plenty of time left to find a rhythm, though.
8:31 p.m.: James follows up an early second-quarter turnover with a sumptuous floater over an outstretched Oscar Tschiebwe.
Bronny with the floater for his second bucket of the night pic.twitter.com/ElKZHmzxkX
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) November 10, 2024
8:21 p.m.: James just notched an impressive assist on the pick-and-roll, flicking the ball no look towards the basket to set up a dunk. He’ll exit the game with two points and two assists as the first quarter inches towards its close.
Bronny James with the assist. #Lakeshow #SouthBayLakers pic.twitter.com/LSLAEOoes9
— Lauren Jones (@LoJoMedia) November 10, 2024
8:18 p.m.: The Lakers have impressed in their regular-season opener thus far. Olivari and Lewis have showcased impressive shooting, pushing South Bay to a nine-point advantage with three minutes left in the frame.
As for James, he’s still sitting at just two points thus far.
8:11 p.m.: LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell are all in attendance for tonight’s contest. So too is Lakers boss JJ Redick. Plenty of luminaries hoping to get a glimpse into the future of Los Angeles’ roster.
The James gang pulled up for Bronny’s G League debut 🔥 @KingJames pic.twitter.com/YwJg46xyDQ
— Overtime (@overtime) November 10, 2024
8:04 p.m.: The first basket of the Lakers’ G-League season belongs to James, who sinks a pull-up two-pointer after a slick feed from Olivari.
1⃣st bucket of the season pic.twitter.com/mnuEnQ7oip
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) November 10, 2024
8:01 p.m.: And we’re off! James’ G-League career has begun!
8:00 p.m.: Here’s a look at the starting lineup for Saturday’s clash. Unsurprisingly, James earned the start. He’ll be joined by Jalen Hood-Schifino, Quincy Olivari, Maxwell Lewis and Christian Koloko.
Starting 5⃣#SBLakers pic.twitter.com/DyNQzrvNkI
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) November 10, 2024
7:05 p.m.: Looks like there will be a packed house at UCLA Health and Training Center tonight:
🚨Tomorrow’s game is SOLD OUT.
[Tickets will not be sold at the door]🆚: @slcstars
⏰: 5 PM PT
📺: @SpectrumSN
📍: @UCLAHealthTCCatch the next one and buy your tickets for future games, while you still can. pic.twitter.com/NytyVk3GZi
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) November 8, 2024
6:50 p.m.: James is expected to receive a hero’s welcome of sorts for Saturday night’s contest. Here’s a look at the youngster firing up some shots ahead of the South Bay Lakers’ duel with the Stars.
Expecting a sold out UCLA Health & Training center.
Bronny James warming up before his first G League game pic.twitter.com/kX9Opesa6R
— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) November 9, 2024
MORE: What G League assignment means for Bronny James
The Lakers will face the Stars at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 9. The game will be played at South Bay’s UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, CA.
MORE: How Bronny James’ contract impacts his rookie season with the Lakers
Bronny James’ G League debut will air on Spectrum SportsNet in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in the country, it can be streamed on Tubi.
Tubi is a cable alternative that provides an ad-supported streaming service. As long as you watch the ads, Tubi can be watched for free and doesn’t require a subscription.
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