LeBron James’s son is set to enter the 2024 NBA draft and may yet fulfil his father’s dream of playing together on the basketball court.
Bronny James announced the move on Instagram saying: “I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal.”
The 19-year-old will now train and meet with NBA teams to determine if he wants to turn professional – and has until 16 June to withdraw his name from consideration.
It comes after the teenager suffered a cardiac arrest in July while he was playing at the University of Southern California (USC) during his first year as a student there.
He had surgery for a congenital heart defect, but recovered and made his debut for USC Trojans.
Bronny James said on Instagram: “I’ve had a year with some ups and downs, but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete.
“Thank you to USC for an amazing Freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”
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The 6ft 4in guard averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 36.6% from the field as a freshman at USC.
Considered one of the greatest players ever, LeBron, 39, who has been with the LA Lakers since 2018, has repeatedly expressed the desire to play with his son.
“King James” told ESPN in 2023: “I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny.
“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I ask him what his aspirations (are) and he says he wants to play in the NBA. So if he wants to do it, he’s got to put in the work. I’m here already, so I’m just waiting on him.”
LeBron has often been captured cheering his elder son on from the sidelines, but it is not a certainty Bronny will play with his father or play in the NBA this year.
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The NBA Draft takes place every year where 30 teams across North America select players who have never played in the NBA before to join their rosters.
Players have to be 19-years-old at some point during the year of the draft – like Bronny James.
Draft picks can vary wildly, from ex-players from other international leagues, or athletes who have played at college level.
There are two rounds, with 60 picks in the whole draft. Teams can choose whether to pick one player or more in a round – or none at all.
This is because trades between teams are common with some swapping draft picks for players, other picks or for money.
The order of the picks is determined by teams’ records from the previous NBA season, where the worst-performing teams are at the top of the lottery.
This generally means worse teams can improve their standings in the league, while the NBA champions are last to pick. The aim here is to make a more balanced league with fairer teams.
For instance, San Antonio Spurs finished bottom in the Western Conference playoffs in 2023 and would go on to sign the coveted 7ft 4in Victor Wembanyama as their first pick.
However, this isn’t sure-fire. The lottery involves ping-pong balls numbered 1-14 selected by a machine. Four balls are selected at random to create a four-digit combination. Teams with the worst records get more combinations of numbers as the odds decrease with each following team.
And even when drafted, players can either sign with the team that picked them – or negotiate with other teams as free agents… So it is far from a straightforward process.
The NCAA portal could mean Bronny transfers to another college and The Athletic reported he would be assessing his NBA Draft evaluation and meeting teams before settling on his future path.
If Bronny decides to go ahead with the draft this year, his father’s team the LA Lakers may not be able to pick him.
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The 2024 NBA Draft will take place on 26 – 27 June.
