Bronny James, one of the most scrutinized amateur basketball players of the last decade, was taken 55th overall in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The selection followed 12 months of speculation about James’s place in the sport, including questions about whether he could compete professionally after a cardiac arrest.
“My dream has always been to get out there, make a name for myself and definitely go to the NBA,” James said at the NBA Draft Combine in May.
Bronny: Los Angeles Laker. pic.twitter.com/TvhkzEs9sO
– Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) 27 June 2024
The Lakers went 47–35 before losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season. LeBron averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in his 21st season. He has until Saturday to extend his current deal with the Lakers, or he can opt out and sign a new deal as a free agent in July. He can sign a new deal worth a maximum of three years and $162 million.
Bronny turned professional after just one year in Southern California, where he averaged 4.8 points and 19.3 minutes in 25 games and had trouble with his shooting touch. He came to college as the 17th-best prospect in his high school class, according to consensus rankings, yet while struggling, he still retained the allure of his father’s stated dream of one day playing together in the NBA.
That idea was seriously questioned a year ago. James collapsed from cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect during a USC practice last July. He was hospitalized for about two days and soon after, the James family said they were confident he would recover. Still, James himself said in the office last month that the episode left him shaken, with a lasting impact.
Bronny James has been selected 55th overall @lakers in 2024 #nbadraft Presented by State Farm!
Watch the second round on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/BnxozT7CGj
– NBA (@NBA) 27 June 2024
“It is still pending,” he said. “I think my parents were a big factor in believing in me and giving me the love and affection that I needed at that time. But I still think about everything that could happen. I love sports.”
James’s health improved and his appearance on the court revived discussion over whether he was talented enough to be selected. That conversation took on a new dimension in the basketball world and beyond when LeBron James said two years ago that he wanted to finish his career with father and son on the same team. “This will be my last year playing with my son,” LeBron James said when the Lakers visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him in 2003 at age 18.
“Wherever Bronny is, I will be there too. “I’ll do whatever it takes to play with my son for a year,” LeBron James said in February 2022.
LeBron James plays with his sons Bryce and now-teammate Bronny during the 2010 All-Star weekend. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Since then, Bronny has added that hope to his prospects. Teams and the media speculated about how James’ draft stock might be affected by his father’s wishes. Easy, consistent question: Would any team draft Bronny as a means of luring LeBron?
Bronny James only played for two teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. His agent Rich Paul at Klutch Sports said that James would not sign a two-way contract, a common move for developing players.
James has said that he is confident that he will be selected on the basis of his ability.
The two are now teammates in the NBA.@King James x brony @lakers pic.twitter.com/MyWiJ8tfaW
– The Athletic (@TheAthletic) 27 June 2024
“This is a serious business, and I don’t think there would be any thought of, ‘I’m going to draft this kid just because I’m going to take his dad,'” he said last month. “I don’t think any GM would actually allow that.”
He further said, “I have worked hard and I will be selected not only because of the player I am but also because of the person I am.”
Now, James has that spot in the NBA and a chance to show like many of his teammates that he can make a career and a name for himself. It’s all he’s ever asked for.
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(Photo: Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
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