Some NBA fans are eager to see what Bronny James, LeBron James’ son, can achieve in the G League following his debut on Saturday. Despite limited production in his first outing, Bronny faced mixed reactions on social media, but one of his teammates stepped up to defend him in the postgame discussion.

Bronny has already logged some minutes with the Lakers in the NBA, but his G League debut left much to be desired in terms of impact. Fans were quick to voice their concerns online, critiquing his inability to influence the South Bay Lakers’ 110-96 victory over Salt Lake City.

However, Quincy Olivari, Bronny’s teammate and a player recently in the spotlight for an emotional moment with Stephen Curry during the preseason, offered a different perspective. Speaking to the media, Olivari expressed his support for Bronny, emphasizing the need for patience and fairness.

“I was happy that Bronny got a chance to show the world that he can play. I’m a big advocate for pushing that he is a great basketball player, and the criticism he gets is unfair. To see him go out there and have fun with Max Lewis was fun to see,” Olivari said.

Bronny’s stats in his G League debut

While anticipation was high for Bronny’s G League debut, his performance left some fans underwhelmed. He struggled to make a significant impact on the game, despite the South Bay Lakers securing a convincing win.

Bronny finished the game with six points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field, including no three-pointers. He added three rebounds, three assists, and two steals to his stat line.

Although the numbers were modest, Bronny still managed to exceed his scoring totals from five appearances with the Lakers earlier in the season, where he played limited minutes.

Olivari shines amid Bronny’s debut

While much of the attention was on Bronny, Olivari delivered a standout performance, cementing his status as one of the key contributors to the South Bay Lakers’ victory over Salt Lake City.

Olivari posted an impressive 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, showcasing his versatility and potential. His efforts are generating buzz around his prospects, and head coach JJ Redick will undoubtedly consider him an asset for the NBA squad as the Lakers and LeBron James look to overcome recent criticism of their overall performance.

Santiago Tovar is a bilingual sports journalist, proficient in both English and Spanish, with additional fluency in French. He joined Bolavip US in 2024, bringing over seven years of experience in covering a wide range of sports, including soccer, NFL, NBA, tennis, and Formula 1. A graduate of Universidad Externado in Colombia with a degree in Social Communication — Journalism, Santiago has provided real-time coverage of major events like the 2021 Women’s Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, and the Davis Cup qualifiers. Previously, he worked at Kienyke.com and Redmas.com.co, where he developed strategies to highlight key sports moments across websites and social media platforms.