Lakers' Bronny James scores career-high 39 points in G League game: 'I belong out there'
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 is tied for his most in the G League.
After the game, Lakers superstar LeBron James posted a clip of his oldest son clearly enjoying himself on his big night.
SMILE THROUGH IT ALL YOUNG 🤴🏾!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 KEEP GOING!! https://t.co/xAWHGG6SI5
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 25, 2025
"SMILE THROUGH IT ALL YOUNG [prince]!!!" the older James tweeted, using an emoji for the final word.
On Thursday, Bronny James played a season-high 30 minutes for the Lakers in the absence of several of the NBA team's 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.
Read more: Stephen A. Smith: 'I might have been wrong' about Bronny James' NBA readiness
That performance prompted ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith to say he "might have been wrong" when he stated on multiple occasions that Bronny James belongs solely in the G League this season.
The younger James returned to his more limited role with the Lakers on Saturday night, scoring two points on zero-for-four 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 James and give him more minutes. He has averaged 2.3 points and 5.9 minutes in his 23 games with the Lakers.
Bronny putting on a show 🤩#SBLakers pic.twitter.com/Vh5Sff20VT
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) March 25, 2025
James' 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 regular-season games in the G League.
Read more: Bronny James credits focus on his game for career-best 17 points during loss to Bucks
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.'
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Odd man out' Knicks guard likeliest to be traded this year, insider claims
'Odd man out' Knicks guard likeliest to be traded this year, insider claims originally appeared on The Sporting News A veteran New York Knicks guard could be the likeliest piece to be dealt away this season, an insider claims. That's not necessarily due to any sourced intel, more just a reasonable inference based on the Knicks' current roster after a summer of subtly crafty team-building around the periphery. New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter century last spring, then canned head coach Tom Thibodeau as a reward in the offseason. Still, the team brought in two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown to spruce up the Knicks' offense, and signed free agent vets Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson to fill out the team's bench. New York also will be the beneficiary of some unfortunate health news for the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, all of whom lost an All-Star to an Achilles tendon tear during last year's playoffs. The Bucks opted to stretch-and-waive theirs, Damian Lillard, and bring in a decided non-All-Star, Myles Turner, with the cap space it earn from ditching him. MORE NEWS:Karl-Anthony Towns shares importance of Carmelo Anthony in his first Knicks season The Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers have now, sort of by default, emerged as the class of the conference. Some recent trades from the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks seem to have put those two teams just below New York and Cleveland near the top of the East. One roster-tweaking mechanism for the Knicks could be a trade. Sam Amico of HoopsWire posits that one incumbent player could now be expendable, thanks to a fresh free agent signing. "For the Knicks, Miles McBride is a good player who sometimes can be the odd man out in a minutes crunch," Amico writes. "That probably won't improve after Jordan Clarkson signed on. That makes McBride the name to watch here." The 6-foot-1 combo guard out of the University of West Virginia has been with the Knicks since his 2021-22 rookie season. Last year, he averaged a career-most 9.5 points on .406/.369/.813 shooting splits, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 24.9 minutes per. Clarkson can be thrive both on and off the ball, and might indeed effectively supplant McBride this season. MORE NEWS:Knicks matchup with fellow Eastern Conference rival deemed a top 10 game to watch
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rockets' Kevin Durant ruthlessly eviscerates fan for ‘diminishing his greatness'
The post Rockets' Kevin Durant ruthlessly eviscerates fan for 'diminishing his greatness' appeared first on ClutchPoints. The two things Kevin Durant doesn't appreciate on social media are trolls and people trying to disrespect his game. The Houston Rockets forward ran into one of those recently, and he didn't let the social media user get off the hook easily. Durant is always going to clap back when he gets the chance, and that's what happened in this situation. The altercation started when someone originally wrote on X, formerly Twitter, 'The last time that Kevin Durant led his team in FGA per game was 2018.' A user doubled down on that post, saying, 'Greatest scorer ever my a–. Yall like efficiency more than what's needed to win.' There's no surprise that Durant didn't catch the tweet from the user, and when he did, he called him out, running through some of his accomplishments throughout his career. '30k points on low fga. Ima coaches dream. Dime dropper, I mastered scoring at 24 years old man. Give it a rest, I don't care about being the best scorer ever. You are diminishing my all time greatness callin me that,' Durant wrote. Durant is known as one of the greatest scorers in the league, and he's been doing it since he got into the league. It's even more impressive that the doesn't have to take many field goal attempts to score a lot of points. That shows that Durant is efficient at what he does best, and that's getting buckets. Kevin Durant ready to help Rockets next season Durant said to that social media user that he is a coach's dream, and he isn't lying, because the Rockets probably feel like they hit the jackpot this offseason acquiring him. The Rockets surprised many people last season when they finished No. 2 in the Western Conference, but they were not able to get out of the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Golden State Warriors. Adding a player like Durant can take them to the next level and get them over the hump, and they should once again be near the top of the West. He also has some key players around him, such as Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun, who will relieve the pressure off of him. Head coach Ime Udoka seems excited to have Durant on board. 'Just like all our vets did; come in and impart wisdom, and teach his experience with these guys, and it'll be invaluable for these guys to see and learn from him,' Durant said. Related: Rockets' Kevin Durant takes jab at Thunder in response to ring night matchup Related: Kevin Durant returns for Thunder's championship ceremony on Opening Night
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
1 move Houston Rockets should've made in 2025 NBA offseason
The post 1 move Houston Rockets should've made in 2025 NBA offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints. In an NBA offseason full of bombshells, few teams made louder noise than the Houston Rockets. After years of steady rebuilding, Houston flipped its trajectory in stunning fashion. General manager Rafael Stone abandoned the long view in favor of a full-throttle push for contention, acquiring 36-year-old superstar Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade that instantly made the Rockets one of the most feared teams in the West. They didn't stop there. Veteran 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith joined the fold, bringing defensive versatility and playoff seasoning. Former franchise anchor Clint Capela returned in a surprising but smart depth move, slotting in as the team's third big behind Steven Adams and Alperen Şengün. The cost was steep: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, and the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft are all gone. But in return, the Rockets have arguably their most complete, veteran-laden roster since the James Harden era. Yet amid all the excitement, one glaring hole remains: Who is going to run the offense? The 1 move they should've made: Secure a starting point guard Championship teams don't just rely on talent; they rely on structure. In the modern NBA, the structure begins with a point guard. Someone who knows how to pace the game, feed scorers like Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. in rhythm, and protect the ball in crunch-time playoff possessions. The Rockets don't have that player at the moment. Fred VanVleet is still on the roster, but it's clear his best years are behind him. The 31-year-old accepted a pay cut this offseason and is better suited for a backup role, playing 15–20 minutes per game as a change-of-pace veteran presence. Asking him to lead a 50-win team deep into the postseason would be unrealistic. So, where was the move for a lead guard? Houston still had optionality. With the cap space they didn't use on Dillon Brooks or Cam Whitmore's rookie-scale deal, they could have pursued free agents like: Even a short-term stopgap veteran, someone like Delon Wright or Dennis Schröder, could have provided a level of maturity and pace control that's currently missing. But instead, Houston stayed internal. And perhaps that's because they believe the answer is already on the roster. If there's one Wild Card who could make Houston's offseason look even more brilliant in retrospect, it's Amen Thompson. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has all the raw tools to become the team's franchise point guard. At 6'7″, Thompson is a special athlete: explosive in transition, disruptive on defense, and gifted with rare vision for his size. He's a two-way force in theory, the type of big, switchable playmaker that playoff teams dream about. In flashes during the 2024-25 season, Thompson showed precisely why the Rockets were so high on him. He zoomed past defenders in the open court, threaded impossible passes to cutters, and guarded multiple positions with intensity. But those flashes came with growing pains. His jumper remains shaky. His half-court processing can be rushed. He often plays with the engine of a Ferrari but the steering of a go-kart. The Rockets now have a choice: keep him in a reduced, developmental role, or throw him into the fire and let him learn on the job. If the Rockets truly believe they're contenders now, they must choose the latter. Why elevating Thompson's role should be a priority Here's the truth: No free agent point guard on the market could match Thompson's ceiling. If he hits, the Rockets not only solve their floor general question, but they raise their ceiling to legitimate title contention. Durant and Şengün are elite scorers, but they need a point guard who can get them the ball in the right spots. Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are dangerous in transition, but they need a high-speed initiator who can find them on the break. Finney-Smith, Adams, and Capela are screeners and floor balancers who would thrive next to a creative, athletic lead guard. Everything about Houston's new roster suggests a team that can thrive with pace, versatility, and switchability. Thompson unlocks all three. But only if the Rockets trust him. Give him the starting role. Give him 30 minutes a night. Let VanVleet mentor him in spurts. Surround him with shooters and vets who understand how to play off a developing point guard. The early season might be rocky, but by April, the dividends could be massive. What's at Stake There's a scenario where Houston's offseason looks brilliant but incomplete. Durant will still be a matchup nightmare. The defense will be tough and long. The bench will be loaded with veteran contributors. But when the game slows down, when the playoffs demand composure and structure, the Rockets risk looking disorganized without a true quarterback. That's the worst-case version of this roster. The best-case version? Amen Thompson takes the reins. His shooting improves just enough to keep defenders honest. His decision-making stabilizes. His defensive versatility becomes a weapon in switch-heavy lineups. He doesn't need to be Chris Paul. He just needs to be steady, explosive, and unafraid. If Houston had made the external point guard move, maybe they'd feel safer. But if they elevate Thompson and he thrives, the Rockets will have pulled off a rebuild-to-contender arc without ever needing to trade for their point guard of the future. The Rockets were aggressive, bold, and ambitious in 2025. They swung for the fences and connected on several pitches. Durant, Finney-Smith, and Capela elevate the team's floor and ceiling in dramatic ways. But if Houston falls short in the playoffs, it won't be because of scoring, defense, or size. It'll be because they never truly addressed their biggest need: someone to run the show. Whether Amen Thompson becomes that guy may ultimately define not just this season, but the next five years of Rockets basketball. Related: Kevin Durant's wildest Nike KD 6 colorways are coming back Related: Kevin Durant reveals new 'Aunt Pearl' Nike KD 18
