Bronny James’ G League debut wasn’t overwhelming with eye-popping numbers.
But his coach and teammates were impressed by what they saw out of LeBron James’ son.
“I was just happy to see him get out there and show the world that he can play,” teammate Quincy Olivari said, according to ESPN. “I think I’m a big advocate on pushing that he’s a great basketball player, and that the criticism he gets is unfair.”
The South Bay Lakers defeated the Salt Lake City Stars in Bronny’s debut, 110-96.
Bronny sank his first shot, a 17-foot baseline jumper.
“I was just getting a bucket,” Bronny, 20, said after the game. “It got to me, and I just … yeah. I didn’t miss.”
He finished with six points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-4 from 3), four assists, three rebounds, two steals, one block and five turnovers in 31 minutes.
Those numbers were similar to what he produced in his lone college seasons at USC when he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
South Bay coach Zach Guthrie was impressed by his new player’s defense.
“I think he did a great job dictating on the ball,” Guthrie said. “He played great, he played unselfishly, he played within the flow of the game. And I thought, like all our guards, we defended at a high level. We talked about dictating. They weren’t comfortable in their offense.”
This obviously didn’t have the hoopla of the Lakers’ regular-season opener in October, when Bronny and his legendary dad shared the court. But he did have plenty of support.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka and Lakers teammates Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell were courtside. So were Bronny’s parents, LeBron and Savannah, and his sister, Zhuri.
“It’s one of the great stories in basketball,” Salt Lake coach Steve Wojciechowski said. “When you see him out there, it’s exciting. It’s exciting for the G League, and it brings eyeballs to our league. And we have one of the best leagues in the world. Maybe the third-best league in the world, after the NBA and EuroLeague. And it’s really the future stars of the game. His story is bringing attention not just to South Bay but the league in general and for the guys who play in the league.”
