NBA insider breaks down Bronny James' future with Lakers amid NBA & G-League possibilities

ESPN's Shams Charania addressed the situation of LA Lakers rookie Bronny James who has been assigned to the G-League. On Tuesday, Charania appeared as a guest on "The Pat McAfee Show" where he spoke about what lies ahead for the Lakers' rookie.

After playing six games in the 2024-25 NBA season, James was assigned to the South Bay Lakers, LA's G-League affiliate. James will reportedly alternate between the two teams, and Charania said he would remain involved with the Lakers roster even while playing in the developmental league.

According to the NBA insider, James will only play home games for South Bay so he could easily rejoin the Lakers when needed. As the rookie continues to split time between the two teams, Charania said his situation is unique.

"[The Lakers] are gonna continue to keep Bronny James around the active roster as much as they can but also, he's gonna be playing G-League home games for right now," Charania said. "Bronny isn't just your normal, every day G-League player. His name is Bronny James, and there are some things with him that just go with it."

Charania said James could eventually play road games with South Bay but said the former USC guard's top goal is to stay close to the Lakers.

"He's not on a two-way, he's not on a 'prove it' deal. He's on a guaranteed contract. ... They had a lot of two-way offers in the draft. (Rich Paul) wanted to get him somewhere where he was gonna get a guaranteed contract. There were multiple teams, the Lakers were not the only team willing to give a guaranteed contract."

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Bronny James called up to the Lakers but is listed as doubtful

The Lakers will play the Utah Jazz on Tuesday for group play of the Emirates NBA Cup. The South Bay Lakers won't play another home game until Sunday. For their game against the Jazz, the organization has called up Bronny.

However, he's listed as doubtful as he deals with a left heel contusion.

James played his second game for South Bay on Sunday, finishing with just four points, two rebounds and two assists. The 6-foot-2 guard shot a poor 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-2 from deep.