'I belong out there': Lakers' Bronny James scores 39 in G League game - Los Angeles Times
Starting for the Lakers’ South Bay affiliate Monday night, the rookie scored a career-high 39 points in a 122-118 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
James made 14 of 21 shots, including four of eight from three-point range, and added four assists, four steals and one block in 38 minutes. He also committed seven turnovers, which tied for his most.
After the game, LeBron James posted a clip of his oldest son clearly enjoying himself on his big night.
”SMILE THROUGH IT ALL YOUNG [prince]!!!” James tweeted.
On Thursday, Bronny played a season-high 30 minutes for the Lakers in the absence of several of top players — including his father and Luka Doncic — and finished with a career-best 17 points and five assists during a 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
That performance prompted ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith to say he “might have been wrong” when he stated that Bronny belongs in the G League.
Bronny returned to his more limited role with the Lakers on Saturday night, scoring two points on 0-for-4 shooting in seven minutes during a 146-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls. After he returned to South Bay on Monday, the NBA squad continued to struggle with a 118-106 loss to the Orlando Magic.
With the Lakers losing three straight games, it will be interesting to see if they call up Bronny and give him more minutes. He has averaged 2.3 points and 5.9 minutes in 23 games with the Lakers.
Bronny’s previous high for South Bay was 31 points during a 122-110 win over the Rip City Remix on Jan. 24. He has averaged 22.4 points in 10 games in the G League.
After his performance against Santa Cruz, James was asked on Spectrum SportsNet what he had been trying to prove on the court.
“Just that I belong out there,” James said. “That’s all I’m trying to prove. A lot of people say I don’t, but I just come out, work every day, try to get better every day and prove myself every day.”
He added: “All the criticism that’s thrown my way, it’s just amazing to shut all that down and keep going.”
Chuck Schilken is a sports reporter on the Fast Break team. He spent more than 18 years with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports Department in a variety of roles. Before joining The Times, he worked for more than a decade as a sports reporter and editor at newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
