There was one gold Lakers jersey for sale at the pop-up merchandise stand in the lobby outside the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo — and it represented why some of the Lakers’ biggest VIPs converted a practice field into a venue for nearly 700 fans Saturday night – Bronny James.
In front of Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, coach JJ Redick and players D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis and of course LeBron James, the Lakers rookie started the developmental league portion of his season and scored six points with three rebounds and four assists in the 110-96 the South Bay Lakers’ victory over Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
“It felt pretty good to go out there and just play my game,” Bronny James said. “Not much difference. I was just playing basketball. It felt good.”
Read more: D’Angelo Russell moves to Lakers bench and says he ‘just wants to win’
James missed South Bay training camp while on the road with the Lakers. For Redick and South Bay coach Zach Guthrie, the goal is to help James make the transition from one roster to another as smoothly as possible.
‘That’s the beauty of what we do here, right? The importance for us is that there is no real transition, right? That South Bay and LA are the same,” Guthrie said. “We have the same terminology, we use the same words, the rules of the game are the same, the defense plans are the same. So his transition is seamless. Just like it was Christian [Koloko] play against Memphis. So that’s what we want to be able to do is just transition seamlessly from each team, play hard, execute, the same things. “Everything they’re asked to do for LA, they’re asked to do for South Bay.”
James made the first shot of the South Bay season, a baseline jumper similar to the one he made on Oct. 30 in Cleveland for his first NBA points. He scored on a floater in the lane, but otherwise couldn’t connect. He missed all four of his three-point shots.
Still, despite five turnovers, his defensive physicality and playmaking ability impressed guard Quincy Olivari.
“Because Bronny looked the way we did, I was just happy to see him come out and show the world he can play,” Olivari said. “I think I’m a big believer in emphasizing that he’s a great basketball player, and the criticism he’s getting is unfair.”
Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers’ 2023 first-round pick who recently had his contract option for a third year with the team declined, started with sophomores Maxwell Lewis, James and two-way players Koloko and Quincy Olivari.
Hood-Schifino scored eight points, but left before halftime with a leg injury. Lewis, the Lakers’ second-round pick a season ago, scored 27 on 10-of-18 shooting.
Olivari, who earned a two-way contract in the preseason, scored 28 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists while shooting 7 for 15 from three-point range.
“My biggest goal was to come here and show the Lakers and the people watching that what I did with the big team wasn’t just a facade,” Olivari said. “I can come here even if I’m with the G League team and show that I want to pick it up [all] 94 [feet of the court]. That I am a playmaker, that I am willing to make the right plays. But at the end of the day, if I get the ball and you want me to score, I’ll shoot it.”
The South Bay Lakers next play at Santa Cruz on Friday before hosting Stockton on November 17.
Read more: JJ Redick’s critical decision pays off in Lakers’ win over 76ers
Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
