Bronny James is expected to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers during their upcoming five-game road trip. After that, however, the rookie will begin splitting time between the Lakers’ active roster and the team’s G League affiliate, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin report.

James played three minutes in the Lakers’ season opener on Tuesday, giving fans and media what they wanted to see when he took the floor with his father, LeBron James. He shot 0-for-2, including 0-for-1 from three-point range, and grabbed one rebound.

The Lakers have two more home games – Friday against the Phoenix Suns and Saturday against the Sacramento Kings – before starting their road trip in Phoenix on Monday. The five-game stretch from October 28 through November 6 includes a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which should be a special moment for the James family.

LeBron James played a total of eleven seasons with his hometown Cavaliers in two separate stints. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. With the Cavs, LeBron won Rookie of the Year honors, two NBA MVP awards and the 2015-2016 NBA Championship. Bronny was born in 2004, just before LeBron’s second season in Cleveland.

After being selected in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2024 NBA Draft, Bronny signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers. Still, his agent Rich Paul negotiated a standard deal — not the two-way contract where prospects typically split time between the NBA and the G League.

However, according to ESPN, there was always an understanding that playing in the G League with the team’s South Bay affiliate would be part of his development. LeBron acknowledged the likelihood when he spoke to reporters at media day, emphasizing that the Lakers and South Bay are part of the same team.

“His job is to work hard and keep getting better, just like the rest of us,” LeBron said, via ESPN. “And we want to hold him accountable, and he’ll hold us accountable. And when we all do that, we all get better, because we’re all one team. We’re a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us.” “