Bronny James returned from injury in style, having a career night with 16 points and one signature play. The Lakers rookie has been out since early November due to a heel contusion injury. But on Saturday, the son of LeBron James returned in style and put his best performance in a South Bay Lakers jersey.
Bronny James’ Career Night and Signature Dunk
The South Bay Lakers defeated the San Diego Clippers 119-111. Bronny James had a career night with 16 points on 6-15 shooting from the floor, 0-4 from behind the arc, four rebounds, two assists, and one huge block. All in all, he finished the night as a plus-eight. The Lakers were led by Maxwell Lewis with 26 points and DaJuan Gordon with 20 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.
It was a good night for the Lakers’ young players overall. Besides Bronny, Quincy Olivari and Christian Koloko also appeared in the game. Olivari had six points on 2-6 shooting, while Koloko finished the game with 16 points on 6-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
Bronny Follows in His Father’s Footsteps
Being the son of LeBron James comes with plenty of expectations. His father is known as the unofficial best chase-down blocker in league history. There have been plenty of highlights of LeBron chasing down players for a block. He might have the best defensive play in NBA Finals history, the Game 7 block on Andre Iguodala.
But it seems like Bronny can do the same as well. Before the draft, many scouts talked about Bronny’s defensive potential. He has the potential to be a great defender in this league, while his offensive talent is raw and in development.
With the South Bay Lakers leading 97-88 with nine minutes to go, Bronny delivered a huge block from behind that prevented the Clippers from getting closer. While it was not a fast-break chase-down block, it certainly reminded people watching how LeBron has gotten people from behind for all these years.
BRONNY JAMES CHASEDOWN BLOCK 🔥👀
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON pic.twitter.com/f7FXIREiqW
— BronnyMuse (@BronnyMuse06) December 8, 2024
When Will Bronny Play Again?
When the Lakers assigned Bronny James to the G-League, there were reports that he would only appear in home games for the South Bay Lakers. That was an unofficial stance, but so far, it has turned out to be true.
The South Bay Lakers have no more home games in December. They are on the road for their next four games in December with a back-to-back against the Valley Suns, and then another back-to-back against the Cleveland Charge in Cleveland, Ohio. There will certainly be rumors about whether Bronny will play in Cleveland, given the significance of Ohio to his family. Bronny even scored his first NBA bucket in Cleveland when the Lakers played the Cavs.
In January, the South Bay Lakers start the year with another road back-to-back, against the Mexico City Capitanes. We might not see Bronny on the floor until Monday, January 6, when they play the Delaware Blue Coats. Then, they are on the road again for the next three games. The team finishes January at home with three games, starting with the Rip City Remix on Thursday, January 23, and then two games against the Texas Legends.
