The Los Angeles Lakers were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. After a tough all-around game, the final score was 118-89.
With the loss, the Lakers dropped to 43-26 on the season. On the other side of the game, the Bucks improved to 39-30.
Los Angeles was forced to play without both LeBron James and Luka Doncic. That explains a bit more about how bad the game ended up going for the Lakers.
However, one player who received an expanded role was none other than Bronny James.
James played 30 minutes coming off of the bench and scored 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including hitting two of his four three-point attempts. He also dished out five assists, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded a block.
As shared by StatMamba, James accomplished something very impressive connected to Magic Johnson with his big performance.
After scoring 17 points, recording five assists, and shooting 70% from the floor, James became the youngest Los Angeles rookie to reach those numbers since Johnson all the way back in 1979.
Bronny James tonight:
17 PTS
5 AST
70% FG
The youngest Lakers rookie to reach these numbers in a game since Magic Johnson (1979). pic.twitter.com/cZ1LonoesC
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) March 21, 2025
Many NBA fans had a lot to say on social media about the game James put together.
"I knew he was finna be great," one comment read.
"Bronny is the rare player who might be a better pro than college player. Ceiling is debatable though," another fan wrote.
Another commenter said, "Bronny said keep hating it's motivating him. Go Lakers."
"Not bad Bronny, he's getting more comfortable every game," another comment noted.
By scoring 17 points, James also set a new career-high for himself. His previous highest scoring game was nine points back on Feb. 12.
Related: ESPN Analyst Names 2 Teams the Lakers Don't Want to See in the NBA Playoffs
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 10:30 PM.