Shams Charania, ESPN
The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned rookie Bronny James to their G League affiliate South Bay, and he is scheduled to make his team debut Saturday against Salt Lake City, sources told ESPN.
According to sources, James will be on the Lakers’ roster for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers before returning to the South Bay.
According to sources, the team’s current plan is for James to travel between the Lakers and the South Bay, appearing only in G League home games.
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“The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and the South Bay was always the plan from day one,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last month.
Sources told ESPN that the concept of playing in the G League was welcomed, as James and his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, discussed the development throughout the pre-draft process with NBA teams. spoke. Sources say Paul made it clear before the draft that he and James were fully open to the development process, while insisting on a standard contract rather than a two-party deal.
Players drafted in the mid-to-late second round typically spend time in the G League learning the coaching, game repetition, and structure of their respective teams’ programs. During the 2023-24 season, 23 of the 28 players selected in the second round of the 2023 draft spent time in the G League.
James, the 55th pick in this year’s draft, has appeared in four games for the Lakers this season.
One of them was born during the Lakers’ season opener on October 22nd, when he and LeBron made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game at the same time.
