NBA
Bronny James sparks G-League ticket frenzy after Lakers NBA demotion
James Jr, the son of LeBron James, is set to make his debut for the South Bay Lakers after four NBA games.
The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned Bronny James to their NBA G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, with his debut for the team just around the corner.
When will Bronny James make his debut for the South Bay Lakers in the G-League?
LeBron James’ eldest son will make his first appearance for his ‘new’ team this Saturday (November 9), when the South Bay Lakers take on the Salt Lake City Stars at the UCLA Health Training Center (tip-off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT). And the news of Bronny’s ‘demotion’ to the G-League hasn’t dampened fans’ enthusiasm to see him in action, with tickets for the weekend game selling out soon after it was known James Jr would be playing.
The cheapest ticket prices on resale start at $200, so there appears to be considerable excitement to see the rookie guard make his debut with the Lakers’ reserve team.
Can Bronny James still play for the LA Lakers in the NBA?
According to ESPN journalist Shams Charania, James will only play in the South Bay Lakers’ home games, which will allow him to alternate with featuring for the LA Lakers in the NBA. The youngster is expected to be in contention to play for the main team against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday (tip-off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m PT).
The franchise confirmed earlier this week the 20-year-old would be splitting his time between the two teams after their recent run of five consecutive road games, which concluded on Wednesday. The Lakers won only one of them, with a victory over the Toronto Raptors in the middle of defeats to the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers have a 4-4 record so far this season but are now on a run of back-to-back defeats.
Bronny James’ NBA stats record
Bronny took to the court in three of the five games, scoring his first ever points in the NBA in the process. All in all, he has made four appearances for the Lakers this season, playing a total of 13 minutes, in which he has averaged 1.0 points, 0.5 assists and 0.3 rebounds on 16.7% shooting.