When will Bronny James make his debut for the G League South Bay Lakers?

If it seems like the Los Angeles Lakers are always in the news, that’s because they are. The NBA’s glitziest franchise has a history of entertaining, championship-level basketball on the court and a plethora of storylines off the court, and while their 4-4 record through eight games indicates the Lakers may not be contending for a title this year, they have Still given NBA fans plenty to talk about.

Much like the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys do for their respective sports, the Lakers are always at the top of the list when the NBA is discussed, and since signing LeBron James in 2018, that effect has been further amplified. . LeBron is the most famous player in the game and a cottage industry in his own right. Combine that with the Lakers brand and there’s never a dull day of coverage.

This year’s Lakers have cooled off after a hot start, but it’s still been a fun ride. LeBron is still going strong in year 22, while Anthony Davis has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate. New head coach JJ Redick has provided sufficient food himselflike when he left a press conference on Wednesday. Then of course there’s Bronny James, who has become the most famous second-round draft pick in NBA history thanks to the Lakers pairing him with his father to create the first father-son combination to ever play together.

Bronny hasn’t had much time to shine on the court, but he has still provided some fun moments, including the first time he played with his father on Opening Night and his standing ovation in Cleveland.

Most NBA scouts agreed that Bronny needed some experience before he could contribute at the NBA level, and that was confirmed in the first two weeks of the season. Bronny has played a total of 13 minutes in just four games, and the box score doesn’t show much that he’s been out there, as he’s only managed four points, one rebound, two assists, and one steal in that time. .

Fortunately for Bronny and his development, the G League opens its season on Saturday and he has already been assigned to the LA affiliate South Bay Lakers.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Bronny is scheduled to play only home games for South Bay, shuttling back and forth between LA and South Bay throughout the season. The South Bay Lakers play at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, just about 15 miles from Crypto.com Arena.

The South Bay Lakers open the season at home against the Salt Lake City Stars on Saturday and that game is already sold out in anticipation of Bronny’s debut. Here’s what the rest of South Bay’s early season schedule looks like:

Bronny is expected to remain on the NBA roster when the Lakers take on the 76ers on Friday night, then join South Bay on Saturday and play that night. If the plan to play only South Bay home games remains in effect, that would put him in line to play five of the first seven games on the G League schedule.

Bronny will play with some familiar faces on his G League team, such as Jalen Hood-Schifino, Quincy Olivari and Christian Koloko, all of whom Bronny knows from LA. Those looking to watch Bronny in action can find his G League games on Tubi, ESPNU, Roku Sports Channel and ESPN+.