Bronny James appears ready to join his father in the NBA.
Bronny, the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, plans to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft after being medically cleared to play in the league. The Athletic reported Monday..
The 19-year-old was cleared by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Committee to participate in the pre-draft combine this week after suffering cardiac arrest due to a congenital heart defect last year. According to ESPN.
University of Southern California security guard I plan to participate With 5-on-5 scrimmages starting Tuesday, according to NBADraft.net.
Bronny’s future could be tied to his father’s, making it a major storyline going into this year’s draft.
James, 39, has said he wants to play in the NBA alongside his son, and Bronny’s inclusion in this year’s draft could pave the way for that opportunity.
In theory, the team that drafts Bronny could have an advantage in acquiring James this summer. The four-time NBA MVP holds a $51.4 million team option with the Lakers for next season.
Los Angeles could draft Bronny in hopes of convincing James to stay.
Bronny is projected to be a second-round pick, and multiple mock drafts have the Lakers using the No. 55 pick (a second-round pick) to draft a freshman. Including The Ringer.
However, James’ agent Rich Paul recently downplayed how Bronny would influence his father’s plans.
“The idea of them playing together is not a priority. In LeBron James’ mind, at least it’s not a priority anymore.” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said:.
“Rich Paul’s goal in the Bronny James pre-draft process is to see if there is a proper development organization that can take a young player like Bronny James…if he enters the draft… If he does, he’s very likely to spend next year in the G League.
“That’s the number one priority for them as a family. What’s best for Bronny James? If that ends up bringing them together, that’s great, but that’s not going to be LeBron James’ decision for next season. I don’t think it plays a big role.”
If that’s the case, Bronny would be lacking as a freshman candidate.
Against a weak USC team that failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, Bronny averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6 percent (26.7 percent from three).
I’ll admit that it’s a victory in itself that Bronny played this season, but these stats probably wouldn’t generate draft buzz for most other freshmen.
Bronny declared for the draft in April while maintaining his college eligibility.
If Bronny decides to return to college before the May 29 deadline, he will transfer from USC, which lost the coach who scouted him in Andy Enfield.
