Rookie Bronny James had his best game as a professional basketball player Thursday.
Playing in his first G League road game for the South Bay Lakers, James scored a career-high 30 points in a 106-100 loss to the Valley Suns in Tempe, Arizona.
James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, made 13-of-23 shots from the field, including 3-for-9 on 3-pointers, and contributed three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 25 minutes against the Suns. Those were his first 3-point makes of the season after missing 10 attempts in the G League. He scored eight points in the first quarter, five in the second, four in the third and 13 in the fourth
It was his fourth G League game – and first G League game on the road after initial reports indicated he planned to in only G League home games. However, after discussion about what’s best for Bronny’s three-year development plan, James and the Lakers decided it was best that he play in select G League road games, too.
Following Thursday’s game, James averages 14 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists and shoots 40.4% from the field and 15.8 on 3-pointers. His previous high was 16 points.
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The 6-3, 20-year-old guard has also appeared in seven games and scored two points for the Los Angeles Lakers as he shuttles back and forth between the NBA and G League.
Bronny was the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2024 draft. He was moving up draft boards before he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest just before the start of his freshman season at Southern California in July 2023.
Earlier this season, LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son combo to play in the NBA at the same time.
(This story was updated with more information.)
