Bronny James has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility and also entering the transfer portal, he announced on his Instagram page Friday. He will go through the draft process next month, meeting with teams and receiving feedback before any decision is made. NBA teams have been anticipating this since the start of the season, scouting him all year and gathering background intel.

The 6-foot-3 freshman guard had an underwhelming season at USC, averaging 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game. He made a remarkable return to the court after suffering cardiac arrest and undergoing surgery last August. After four months away from basketball, his first game back was Dec. 10 against Long Beach State, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in 17 minutes.

James' impact was felt almost immediately on the defensive side of the ball with how well he guarded the perimeter. But the Trojans struggled with on-court chemistry and dealt with injuries all season, finishing 15-18 and failing to make the NCAA tournament.

LeBron James has said multiple times that he hopes to play with his son in the NBA. In 2022, James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, “My last year will be played with my son. Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

The 39-year-old James is in his 21st season and this season became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points. He has hinted at retirement but admits there is no plan yet for what that looks like.

"I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left, I know it's not that many," James told reporters before the All-Star Game. "I am a Laker, and I am happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way. But I don't have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I'll be in. Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. I don't know how it's going to end, but it's coming. It's coming, for sure."

The Lakers have the 55th pick in the draft this year and that could be a landing spot for Bronny if he does decide to stay in this draft class. In a draft that is wide open, there is room for a team to take a swing on Bronny with LeBron also sweetening the deal. Offensively, Bronny has great shooting mechanics and makes good reads off the pick-and-roll. He still needs to develop his game before he can contribute at the NBA level and likely would spend the majority of his first season getting reps in the G League.

His other option is to stay another year in college and work on his game alongside his peers. Entering the transfer portal gives him options and flexibility. Former USC head coach Andy Enfield took the job at SMU, which will be playing in the ACC next season. Prior to Bronny's commitment to USC, Oregon and Ohio State were also in the mix for him. Meanwhile, the Trojans just hired former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman. Although he wasn't involved in Bronny's high school recruitment, Musselman will undoubtedly have a conversation with him before any decision is made.

Bronny's basketball career has been watched closely and scrutinized since he was in eighth grade. Through it all, he's handled the pressure extremely well and worked hard to be the player he is today. His situation is unlike any other player currently in this draft class. He's smart to keep his options open. But being so close to fulfilling LeBron's dream of becoming the first father-son duo in the NBA, it's hard to imagine Bronny returning to college for one more year.