Report: Bronny James to decide on 2024 NBA Draft based on team interest, not draft stock
Bronny James is wrapping up his first season at USC, which was cut short after he experienced cardiac arrest during a workout last summer
If Bronny James does in fact enter the NBA Draft later this year, his decision won’t be based on his specific draft position.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday night that Bronny, who is the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, is going to weigh his entry into the draft based on specific team interest rather than his draft position.
“I don’t value a young player getting into the lottery as much as I do getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation,” Paul said.
While that may sound like Paul is working to get Bronny onto the Lakers so he could play with his father before he retires, Paul insisted “LeBron wants Bronny to be his own man.” If the two happened to play together organically, however, LeBron would be “head over heels excited.”
Bronny is nearing the end of his freshman season at USC, where he’s averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in nearly 20 minutes per game. He experienced cardiac arrest during a workout with the program in July, however, and didn’t make his debut until Dec. 11. The Trojans have had a rough year and are 12-17 with two games left in the regular season.
If Bronny were to try and enter the draft in June, it’s unclear where he would go. Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek didn’t have him listed in her latest mock draft, so he could easily be a second-round pick. He would have to be evaluated and approved by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel due to his heart condition, too. But as he’s playing again at USC, that’s presumably not an issue.
LeBron has said that he wants to play a season with his son before he retires. LeBron officially became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points on Saturday night in the Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets. If Bronny waits until the 2025 NBA Draft to make the jump to the league, which could help his stock significantly, LeBron would have to play his 23rd season to be in the league with his son at the same time. While he’s still statistically not lost much of a step at all, that would mean playing well into his 40s — which is no easy task.
