Lakers announce decision on Bronny James
Oct 6, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) controls the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a 7-2 start this season, and they’ve done it without leaning on Bronny James much at all. The third-year guard has barely seen the floor in his first season without his father, LeBron James, as a teammate, appearing in just five games so far, playing just seven minutes in total.
Now, the Lakers have decided to send him down. On Thursday, the team assigned James to its G League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Lakers, where he’ll get the playing time he hasn’t been getting in Los Angeles.
Bronny’s Uncertain Status
James has spent his entire NBA career with the Lakers, who selected him with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. For his first two seasons, he played alongside his father, and the two made history last spring when LeBron assisted Bronny for the first father-son assist in NBA playoff history.
LeBron left Los Angeles this summer, agreeing to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in late July. That left plenty of questions about Bronny’s status with the Lakers moving forward.
Those questions came to a head before the NBA’s opening-night roster deadline last month. The Lakers had to choose between James and fellow 2024 draftee Dalton Knecht for their final roster spot, and they ended up waiving Knecht and keeping James.
Despite the decision to keep James on the roster, Bronny hasn’t exactly spent much time on the court. With the Lakers adding plenty of wings over the offseason, James has had a tough time cracking JJ Redick’s rotation.
Headed to Coachella Valley
On Thursday, the Lakers officially decided to send Bronny down to the G League.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have used Bronny James sparingly during their 7-2 start and on Thursday assigned him to their G League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Lakers,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported.
The 22-year-old has averaged just 2.4 minutes and 0.8 points per game in his five appearances this season. Moving to the G League will allow him to get more playing time as he continues to develop.
James has been much more productive in the G League. Over the past two seasons, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 25 games for the South Bay Lakers, shooting 49.6% from the field and 41.3% from three.
The affiliate has since been rebranded and relocated to Palm Desert, where it plays its home games at Acrisure Arena. Coachella Valley opens its season at home against the Salt Lake City Stars on Friday under new head coach Alex Cerda, who replaced Zack Guthrie after Guthrie joined Redick’s staff.
Lakers rookie Cameron Carr was also assigned to Coachella Valley on Thursday. Clearly, the Lakers want James to keep developing, even if there isn’t room for him in Los Angeles right now.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.