Lakers' Bronny James Shows Out in First G League Game of Season

Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) reacts after the game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Second-year Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James made his G League debut with the South Bay Lakers on Friday, marking his return to the developmental league after starting the season on the roster.

In his first game back at South Bay, he scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds, and handed out eight assists, while shooting 5-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.

He only had three turnovers, but made up for them with three steals of his own, in a game that once again showed his ability to influence the court on both ends through high motor play and unselfishness.

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He averaged 2.1 points in 11.1 minutes per game during his 10 appearances for the Lakers this season. James got playing time because his father, 21-time All-NBA Lakers power forward LeBron James, missed the start of the season, and Gabe Vincent was injured early in the campaign.

Bronny spent a significant amount of time in the G League last season during his rookie year as a second-round pick. He made an impression, averaging 21.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals.

Bronny James' Goals in the G League

The former USC Trojan, when speaking to Lakers reporter Raj Chipalu, explained what he hopes to achieve this time in South Bay and which areas of the game he will be focusing on.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm trying to focus now on bettering myself off the ball," James said.

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"Me and J.J. have talked about how all the ball handlers on the parent team and stuff like that, so I've got to learn to be effective off the ball and have a .5 mentality and shoot the ball when I have it, have an open shot.

"So, I'm trying to get better at that, but, you know, some on-ball guard is needed at the G, so I'm just trying to produce as much as I can."

Asked Bronny about the balance of being on ball here vs the parent team.

“I'm trying to focus now on bettering myself off the ball. Me and JJ have talked about all the ball handlers on the parent team, so I have to learn how to be effective off the ball. Have a .5 mentality." pic.twitter.com/N48957dEUV

— Raj C. (@RajChipalu) November 22, 2025

James placed heightened expectations on himself entering the season, and while he is back in the G-League, there is still plenty of time for him to secure a spot in the rotation, especially since he can be a role player who does off-ball work next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

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