The South Bay Lakers are the G-League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, and their arena lies just south of Los Angeles International Airport, in El Segundo, California. They play at the UCLA Health Training Center, which seats only 750 fans but the arena has great amenities and also serves as the Lakers practice facility and office headquarters.
After I acquired two media passes to cover the game on Monday, Feb. 3 against the Oklahoma City Blue, my friend Francisco and I drove to the game from University of California, Riverside (UCR). Driving at 4 p.m. on a Monday meant there was quite a bit of traffic, and we got there in 85 minutes. Media passes came with parking right next to the entrance, and there was zero extra wait time.
After collecting our credentials and getting past security, we were greeted with our media seats in the second row, on the sideline facing the visitors bench. It was an amazing view, and we were surrounded by other reporters who were also covering the game.
Tip-off was at 7 p.m., and the Lakers got off to a fast start, going into halftime with a 14-point lead. However, the Blue came storming back in the second half, and the lead was down to two with a minute to go in the game. Miller Kopp hit a fadeaway three-pointer with 26 seconds left, giving the Blue a one-point lead and they hung on to win the game, 105-101.
After the game, I got the opportunity to interview some of the South Bay Laker players, headlined by Bronny James. The reporters got ushered onto a different court, and the players made their way to the microphones one-by-one.
When Bronny came walking towards the group of reporters, I was smacked with a wave of nerves and adrenaline. I felt a bit starstruck, standing next to the son of the greatest athlete of all-time, LeBron James.
Bronny finished the game with 16 points on 5/17 shooting in 35 minutes, and when asked about what he felt went wrong in the fourth quarter, he responded, “I think it was the energy. They went on their run, so our energy went down and I think the sides just flipped and we weren’t able to come back.”
The game was less than 48 hours after the blockbuster trade featuring Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis, and I asked Bronny if the trade had any mental effect on the game. Bronny reassured, “I think I was able to play free, it doesn’t really affect the G-League so it didn’t really change me [in the game].”
That was my first ever interaction with Bronny James, and it feels quite surreal to say that I’ve talked with him. I could feel his aura radiating throughout the game, and to stand in the presence of Bronny was an emotion that I cannot put into words.
The Los Angeles Lakers organization does an amazing job catering to the needs of the media, especially at UCLA Health Training Center for G-League games. The staff, security and fans were all super friendly and I would love to cover more South Bay Laker games in the future.
