Bronny James Set to Play for the South Bay Lakers

LeBron James Jr. (left) and LeBron James (right) at a Los Angeles Lakers press conference. (Courtesy/Almay Stock Images)

LeBron James is one of the most prolific players in the NBA; the 2003 number-one draft pick has set and broken records for over two decades, and now another. 

The second-round, 55^th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft was none other than James’ oldest son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., Drafted to his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers, this pick comes on the heels of a career-high season for James making this duo the first father-son pair to ever play together on an NBA court.

However, five months ago, when the Lakers selected Bronny James, news about the potential rookie seemed to dominate the media, and most analysts were torn between cautious optimism and even more cautious pessimism when considering the reason behind the 55^th draft pick had more to do with just talent alone. 

Sports reporters brought up the young star’s G-league status quite often before the draft. One of ESPN’s more notable analysts, Stephen A. Smith said on his show “First Take” that Bronny would benefit from time spent in the G-league and that he was not ready to be a part of Tinsel town; referring to the Los Angeles Lakers, the primary team in the NBA Los Angeles franchise. 

Smith also responded to co-commentator CJ McCollum and said he felt Bronny James was ready to be a part of the Lakers.

“I completely agree with you if Bronny’s gonna be on the G-league developing. I do not agree with you if he’s gonna be inside that Laker locker room, and the reason why is because of the combination of other players who are going to be in the locker room, combined with the media that comes with being in tinsel town when you’re a member of the Los Angeles Lakers,” Smith said.

The 6-foot-2-inch freshman guard from the University of Southern California entered the NBA draft after only playing one season. Speculation immediately began about where he would go for his first NBA year.

Elevated media coverage was inevitable, not only because of his family history but the promising future when the Lakers drafted the son of one of their most impactful franchise players. 

While the media surrounding his NBA debut was primarily focused on his rookie attributes, critics and fans did not forget about his health scare in July of 2023 when he went into cardiac arrest during practice at USC.  

Nevertheless, five months later, Bronny made his freshman debut at the school playing 17 minutes against Long Beach State putting up four points and three rebounds. However, after nearly a year off following his heart episode, and only banking a couple of minutes on a college court, many speculated his readiness for the league.

Regardless of the realities, the media surrounding the first NBA father-son duo has led to the pair being depicted as an unstoppable force on the court, and a show that no loyal LeBron, James family or Laker fan should miss.

Furthermore, Lebron James decided to continue his contract with the Lakers after signing his son and signed a two-year, $101 million contract extension giving him two more times to win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy potentially. 

On Oct. 22, Bronny James suited up with the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the game, Bronny made good on the Lakers’ promise to fans who were in attendance to “witness history,” which they did. No father-son duo have ever played on the same team, at the same time, on the same court together in NBA history. 

After his first few games in the league and much speculation about his permanence on the Los Angeles  Lakers, the franchise announced that they would send the former USC traveler to play for the G-League team, the South Bay Lakers. The move was no surprise to most sports commentators who assumed as much when the franchise announced their intent to sign the 20-year-old. 

“Bronny James is expected to begin splitting time between the Lakers and the team’s G League affiliate, even though Coach JJ Reddick said those plans could change,” a statement from the NBA read. “ESPN reported Friday that James will be going between the two teams after the Lakers complete a five-game trip on Nov. 6. The South Bay Lakers begin their G League season on Nov. 9 against the Salt Lake City Stars.”

This bump in NBA publicity came on the heels of the WNBA’s substantial uptick in popularity, with the women’s professional league’s 2024 season increasing in viewership by over 150%. No doubt due to basketball’s newest franchise players, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s performance putting the organization at the forefront of sports and media for the summer. 

As the WNBA’s viewership remains steady and in some cases continues to increase, reports show the NBA has been struggling to retain relevance, as whispers of the league losing appeal to newer and older generations of basketball lovers. According to the popular basketball news webcast, Big Time Hoops, the NBA has seen a 5% drop in ratings so far this season. 

In addition to the explosive 2024 season that the WNBA had and the slowly decreasing viewership within the NBA, a lot could be inferred from publicity stunts to “big picture” plays, as to why the USC freshman with solid, but not groundbreaking statistics was drafted to one of the most iconic franchises in the NBA.