No Bronny James tonight as Lakers play Bulls in their NBA summer league finale

Posted by Admin July 20, 2024 NBA

Bronny James will finish off his first run through NBA summer league basketball by being among three young players the Los Angeles Lakers are holding out of the game vs. the Chicago Bulls

Snap analysis after his first few summer league games had assorted people wondering if James even belonged on a roster.

He’s quieted some of those critics with his play in what turned out to be his final two games of the summer league. He’s scored double figures in pair of wins the last two games, including a 93-89 over the Cavs on Thursday. He played a strong floor game and made 50% of his shot against the Cavs.

No. Bronny James is among three Lakers the team decided to have sit out Saturday night. Also not taking the floor are first-round pick Dalton Knecht and Maxwell Lewis, as the team decides to rest all three because of their volume of court time already this summer.

NBA TV will broadcast the Lakers and Bulls game on Saturday, July 20 at 7 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET. It is the final game of the Vegas summer league for each team.

Bronny James highlights from summer league

In five games this summer, James averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 32.7% from the field. He was 0-for-15 from 3-point range over the first four games to drag down his shooting percentage before going 3-for-8 on 3s in his final two games.

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of James’ stats:

Game 1 vs. Kings: Four points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field (0-for-3 from 3), two rebounds, two assists and an assist
Game 2 vs. Warriors: Did Not Play — Coach’s Decision
Game 3 vs. Heat: Three points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field, five rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals
Game 4 vs. Rockets: Eight points on 3-of-14 shooting (0-of-8 on 3s), with five rebounds and two steals
Game 5 vs. Celtics: Two points on 1-for-5 shooting from the floor (0-for-3 on 3s), with three rebounds and an assist
Game 6 vs. Hawks: Twelve points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field (2-for-5 on 3s), with one rebound and one steal
Game 7 vs. Cavs: Thirteen points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field (1-for-3 on 3s), with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks
Game 8 vs. Cavs: Did Not Play — Team decision

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Summer league basketball ends for James and the Lakers with Saturday’s games against the Bulls. They won’t return to action until the NBA preseason later this fall. Currently, the Lakers’ first preseason game is scheduled for Oct. 4 vs. Minnesota in Greater Palm Springs.

Length: Four years
Total value: $7.9 million

James signed a four-year/$7.9 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, July 3 after the Lakers selected the USC guard with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. As noted by Field of 68 Network’s Jeff Goodman, James’ contract with the Lakers is one of the bigger contracts for a player taken with the No. 55 overall pick in recent year. Last year’s No. 55 overall pick, Miami’s Isaiah Wong, signed a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers that was worth around $600,000 and $700,000 per Goodman.

Here’s a breakdown of James’ Annual Average Value (AAV) per year according to ESPN:

2024-25: $1.15 million
2025-26: $1.95 million
2026-27: $2.29 million
2027-28: $2.48 million

James appeared in six of the Lakers’ eight games this summer, scoring 42 total points after his 13-point game Thursday vs. the Cavs.

Bronny James is wearing No. 9 for the Lakers this summer.

On the Lakers official roster, James is listed at 6-foot-2.

Here is the Lakers’ summer league schedule, including their three games in the California Classic Summer League:

Date	Opponent
Sat, July 6	Kings 108, Lakers 94 (California Classic Summer League)
Sun, July 7	Warriors 92, Lakers 68 (California Classic Summer League)
Wed, July 10	Heat 80, Lakers 76 (California Classic Summer League)
Fri, July 12	Rockets 99, Lakers 80 (NBA Summer League)
Mon, July 15	Celtics 88, Lakers 74 (NBA Summer League)
Wed, July 17	Lakers 87, Hawks 86 (NBA Summer League)
Thr, July 18	Lakers 93, Cavs 89 (NBA Summer League)
Sat, July 20	Lakers vs. Bulls, 7 p.m. (NBA Summer League)

Here’s the Lakers’ full 2024 Summer League roster:

Listed in numerical order

No. 4 Dalton Knecht, G (Tennessee)*
No. 9 Bronny James, G (USC)*
No. 14 Colin Castleton, F (Florida)
No. 21 Maxwell Lewis, F (Pepperdine)
No. 27 Vincent Valerio-Bodon, G (Sopron KC — Hungary)
No. 29 Sean East II, G (Missouri)*
No. 30 Grayson Murphy, G (Belmont)*
No. 31 Tommy Kuhse, G (Saint Mary’s)
No. 36 Blake Hinson, F (Pittsburgh)*
No. 37 Armel Traore, F (ABA Blois — France)*
No. 39 Mohamed Diarra, F (NC State)*
No. 41 Quincy Olivari, G (Xavier)*
No. 50 Kyle Mangas, G (Indiana Wesleyan)
No. 55 Joirdon Nicholas, F (Texas Southern)

* denotes rookie status

No. LeBron James is currently overseas with USA Basketball preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He played a huge role Saturday in the U.S. rallying for a 101-100 win over South Sudan in an exhibition game at O2 Arena in London. The four-time NBA champion is competing in his first Olympics with USA Basketball since the 2012 London Olympics. The U.S. opens Olympic play July 28.