Charles Barkley Makes Bold Comments on Bronny James

Former USC Trojans and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has been showing out in the G-League for the South Bay Lakers. Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said on Friday that Bronny should have been in the G-League all along this season.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Former USC Trojans and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has bounced around from the G League and NBA for the past couple months. James was selected in the second round by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft, but has spent most of his rookie season sitting on the Lakers bench. 

Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley went on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday and spoke about James. Barkley thinks he should have been in the G-League this whole season. 

Charles Barkley Claims Bronny James Should Have Been In G-League

Mar 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) sits on the bench during a time out in the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dan Patrick asked Charles Barkley his thought on Bronny James and the Lakers. Barkley strongly believes that Bronny should have been developing his game with the South Bay Lakers.

“That kid (Bronny), I wish him nothing but the best,” Barkley said. “He should be in the G-League getting better as a player. He should have been in the G-League all year.”

Bronny and his father LeBron James took the floor together on opening night, making them the first father-son duo to ever play together in an NBA game. In his rookie season, Bronny has only played in 23 games. He has scored a total of 52 points on 17 for 54 shooting from the field. 

“I think it was a great story for them (Bronny and LeBron) to go on the court together, but he should be in the G-League,” Barkley said. “You don’t get better sitting on the bench.”

Bronny has been playing more for the South Bay Lakers recently, and he has shown dramatic improvement from game to game. 

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Bronny James Improving In G-League With South Bay

Mar 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bronny James has now played in 11 G-League games for South Bay. He is averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 44.3 percent shooting from the field. About a week ago, Bronny dropped a G-League career high 39 points on 14 of 21 shooting from the field. 

There is a strong case to be made that the Lakers should keep Bronny with South Bay and not call him back up to the NBA level until he shows that he’s ready, because he’s clearly not at the level of an NBA player that can get minutes as of now. Additionally, the Lakers are in a playoff seeding push as the season winds down so rotations are going to get very thin. There’s not a lot of room for any Bronny minutes outside of the occasional late game garbage time. 

Bronny has not played consistently since high school and if the Lakers want him to eventually be a player they can put in their rotation, they should have him focus in on the G-League for the time being. 

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