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Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball during warm-up before facing the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 4, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday announced their decision to call up second-year guard Bronny James from the G League. The news came after Luka Doncic suffered a left leg contusion in the 103-88 loss to the LA Clippers on Saturday.
Bronny last played for the Lakers during their NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 10. The son of LeBron James appeared in just one minute in garbage time after the Spurs dominated the Lakers in the in-season tournament game.
The second-generation player received meaningful playing time earlier in the season, especially when the Lakers dealt with injuries to his father and Gabe Vincent. In November, he logged 18 or more minutes in three games, earning the praise of head coach JJ Redick for his perimeter defense. Lakers legend James Worthy called his performance against the Trail Blazers on Nov. 3 the “best game” of his young career.
Bronny James Shines in G League
Despite showing flashes of being a solid perimeter defender, Bronny James has continued to struggle with his shooting efficiency. In 14 appearances thus far, he has shot 32% from the filed and 28% from three, while averaging 1.9 points.
Bronny has, however, looked a lot more comfortable for the South Bay Lakers in the G League, a trend that has continued since his rookie season last year.
In Sunday’s win over former NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo’s Wisconsin Herd, Bronny logged 15 points, five assists and three rebounds for the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
Bronny James Back on Lakers
Incidentally, the Lakers called up Bronny almost immediately after his performance against Wisconsin on Sunday. The more crucial reason, perhaps, is to provide the Lakers with more backcourt depth amid the injuries to Doncic (left leg contusion), Rui Hachimura (groin), Austin Reaves (calf strain), Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Gabe Vincent (back). While Reaves and Ayton are expected to return for Tuesday’s clash against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers have yet to offer an update on Doncic’s injury. Vincent, the Lakers’ backup point guard, is expected to be out at least a week.
Doncic reportedly suffered his injury when he collided with Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic in the first half of Sunday’s game. The Slovenian still managed to play the entire first half, logging in 20 minutes, but did not return for the third quarter.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that Doncic came up to him and said he was physically unable to return to the court.
“I saw him hobbling towards the end of the first half. He came to me at halftime and said he couldn’t go,” Redick said after Sunday’s game, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Perhaps Bronny James can seize his next opportunity to prove he belongs in the NBA when the Lakers (19-8) travel to the Phoenix Suns (15-13) on Tuesday. He is almost certain to receive meaningful playing time in light of the Lakers’ long injury list.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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