Bronny James is back with the South Bay Lakers, following a familiar path from last season, and his on-court play has quietly impressed. The young guard looks comfortable and productive in the G League setting. Still, fans tracking his progress online may be puzzled. A strange number on the official G League stat page is sparking unexpected curiosity.

Some fans noticed that the NBA G League website lists James’ minutes at a staggering 57.6 minutes over just three games in his sophomore season. It can also be seen in his per-game box scores: 28 minutes against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, 34 minutes against the Wisconsin Herd, and, humorously, 111 minutes against the Memphis Hustle.

Obviously, this is false. According to ESPN’s website, Bronny James played 30 minutes against the Hustle, which would mean that he averages 30.7 minutes per game, not 57.6.

This is likely due to an improper entry into the site’s database, because many of the minute figures for the players from both the Lakers and the Hustle are wrong.

According to the transcript on the G League website, apart from James, the Lakers’ Drew Timme, Kobe Bufkin, Kylor Kelley, and Tevian Jones, as well as the Hustle’s Charlie Brown Jr., Tyler Burton, Jahmai Mashack, Lawson Lovering, and Javon Small all logged over 100 minutes each during the game.

The game was close throughout, with the score being tied 16 times and featuring 13 lead changes. Bufkin led the Lakers to a win in the overtime period, scoring five of their seven extra-period points, including the game-winner. South Bay managed to hold the Memphis Grizzlies‘ G League affiliate to just three points in overtime.

In his minutes against the Hustle, Bronny logged a season-high 20 points on 8-11 shooting, along with five rebounds and seven assists, along with three steals. Across his G League games, James has averaged 17 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on extremely efficient shooting.

A Statement Night in the G League for Bronny James Acknowledged by LeBron

Perhaps the biggest moment to come out of the game was after a highlight featuring a fast-break dunk from Bronny James. The dunk was great by itself, but that’s not why it caught attention. On X, the highlight posted by the South Bay Lakers account was reposted by LeBron James, who added:

“The AIR different 🆙 there!”

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On the floor, LeBron‘s son played great, as he tries to prove that he is worth extra minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation in the future, and given the team’s current injury struggles, his progression to a serviceable rotation player would help alleviate a lot of pressure from the team.

James was assigned to the G League following the Lakers‘ matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies a few days ago, marking his most recent stint following a previous one earlier this year.

“I can’t lose that defensive drive that will get me on the floor because there’s gonna be guys that can score 15-20 a game,” Bronny said about his strategy to earn more time on the NBA courts. “I’m most likely not going to be that guy right now. To get myself on the floor, I’ve got to be a defensive menace.”