The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the start of a three-game home stand before heading to San Antonio next week for an NBA Cup match with the Spurs.
Ahead of the NBA G League season opener on Friday, the Lakers assigned rookie guard Bronny James to their affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, in preparation for Saturday’s season opener.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that James will primarily play only in South Bay home games, with plans for him to shuttle between the NBA and G League as the Lakers manage his playing schedule.
After debuting with his father, LeBron James, on opening night, Bronny has appeared in only three additional NBA games, limited by not being in coach JJ Redick’s rotation.
The G League assignment is expected to give him more consistent playing time. However, the Lakers recalled him, along with Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, to play in Friday’s NBA game against the 76ers, sparking some confusion as tickets for his G League debut in Salt Lake City were already sold out.
Despite this recall, Bronny is still expected to participate in South Bay’s opener on Saturday. Having scored four points over 14 minutes in his four NBA appearances, the 20-year-old guard will rejoin his G League teammates for the South Bay Lakers game after the Lakers face Philadelphia.
