Bronny James Stats Tonight: LeBron James' son returns as Lakers superstar achieves 50k points milestone vs Pelicans (Mar. 4)

LeBron James' son, Bronny James, made his highly anticipated return to the LA Lakers in Tuesday's clash against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers steamrolled past their lottery-bound counterparts, allowing Bronny to get a run at Crypto.com Arena for the first time after Feb. 12.

Earlier in the night, LeBron scored his 50,000th career point in the NBA (regular season and playoffs combined), making it the perfect time for Bronny to play for the Lakers after a lengthy hiatus, with him suiting up for the South Bay Lakers multiple times.

Bronny played the final four minutes of the game against the Pelicans. The rookie scored two points on 1-for-3 shots. Both his misses came from the free throw line. He had a rebound, one turnover and a +/- of -2. The Lakers won 136-115, with LeBron James dropping 34 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Luka Doncic had 30 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

Bronny's only make was a layup against three Pelicans players.

Here's the clip:

South Bay reporter gets candid on LeBron James' son Bronny James' growth

Much has been made of Bronny James' archetype and potential as an NBA-caliber rotation player for someone who was drafted No. 55 overall in the draft. However, the scrutiny has come with LeBron James' endorsements of his son and the pressure that comes with their association.

Bronny didn't have a promising start to life as a pro with the Lakers or in the G League with South Bay. However, he was in the process of building his confidence after a massive health scare in August 2023 derailed his basketball journey to a degree. Bronny had an underwhelming college season at USC, but it wasn't that relevant as he made it to the pros, regardless.

As he continues developing in the G League, South Bay reporter Raj Chipalu shared his insights on where Bronny James stands as a player during an appearance on Lakers insider Jovan Buha's podcast, "Buha's Block."

"He believes he's an on-ball guard," Chipalu said. "I still have healthy concerns about that ... Especially at that size, but he's definitely taken a huge leap from where he was at that first game to now. His confidence is just at a whole other level. To watch a guy that was refusing to shoot to take a bunch of a step back 3s ..."

Chipalu assessed that Bronny James isn't ready yet to contribute as a backup point guard on the Lakers, especially with the small sample sizes of him with the parent team. However, Chipalu called Bronny the best on-ball guard on the South Bay Lakers.