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 [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.
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.
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.
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.'
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