Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) warms up prior to the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Magic Johnson’s Opinion On Bronny James Proves To Be Correct

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Cory Pappas | Last updated May 7, 2025 6:05 PM ET

Former USC Trojans and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James finished his rookie season in the NBA. The Lakers selected Bronny in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. This decision to draft Bronny became a polarizing discussion, with his dad LeBron James appearing to be a big reason for the Lakers selecting him.

Bronny played just one season at USC, appearing in 25 games. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

Pro Basketball Hall of Fame and Lakers legend Magic Johnson said before the season that he would recommend Bronny playing in the G-League to develop his game instead of just sitting on the bench for the Lakers.

Magic Johnson Adamant That Bronny James Needs Time In G-League

Magic Johnson was adamant before the start of the Lakers season that it would be more beneficial for Bronny to play somewhere where he would get more playing time.

“If I’m Bronny, I would tell my dad just let me play in the G-League all season so that I can develop,” Johnson said on Jimmy Kimmel Live in September 2024. “He needs playing time. He doesn’t need to be sitting on the Lakers bench and not playing. That’s not a knock on him. He’s just not ready.”

James had not gotten much run in college due to just being there for one season and also because of the fact that he was still recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered prior to the season.

“He needs to develop more, and then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills," Johnson said. "But he needs to develop those skills at a much better clip if he wants to play 15-20 minutes a night in the NBA.”

Bronny Shows Improvent In G-League

In his rookie season in the NBA, Bronny James played in 27 games, primarily in the last couple minutes of blowouts. He averaged 2.3 points on 31.3 percent shooting from the field. Bronny and LeBron made history on opening night, becoming the first ever father-son duo to take the court together in an NBA game.

As the season progressed, Bronny began to play more games with the Lakers G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. He played 11 games for South Bay, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. If the Lakers want Bronny to eventually become a player that is at least a rotational player in their rotation, they must let him get as much run with South Bay as possible.

As far for the Lakers as a whole this season, they won 50 games and earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Their playoff run came to an abrupt end in the first round, losing in five games to the No. 6 seed, Minnesota Timberwolves.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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