Lakers bring back 1st-round pick named Kobe for NBA G League

Billy Heyen

Lakers bring back 1st-round pick named Kobe for NBA G League image

Kobe Bufkin is keeping his bags packed.

After a short stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, he's back in the Los Angeles Lakers' organization.

The South Bay Lakers announced Bufkin has been returned to them in the G League.

Bufkin had signed with the Grizzlies on a hardship contract.

Once that scenario ended, it allowed Bufkin to return to South Bay.

Bufkin was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

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The 6-foot-4 Bufkin is a lefty from the University of Michigan.

Across 2023-24 and 2024-25, Bufkin appeared in 27 NBA games for the Hawks, averaging 11.9 minutes per contest. In that time, he scored 5.0 points per game with averages of 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Bufkin didn't actually get into a game with Memphis in his time there this season.

He was traded from the Hawks to the Nets in September, then cut by Brooklyn in October.

Bufkin signed with South Bay, but that was only a G League contract, not an NBA deal, which is why the Grizzlies could sign him.

But with that over, Bufkin is back in the G League with the minor league Lakers.

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Senior Editor