Written by Shams Charania, Lukas Wies, and Sam Veceny
Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is expected to remain in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to league officials.
James suffered a cardiac arrest last July before returning to the court for his freshman season at the University of Southern California, but was cleared to play by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel and was considered for the NBA Draft. – Will participate in all pre-draft activities, starting with the combine. this week.
Although not considered a strong candidate, James was not among them. The AthleticMock Draft After Sunday’s Lottery – His last name, and his return to the court following serious health concerns, make him one of the most notable players in this year’s draft class.
There’s also additional interest in whether James and his father could be teammates. LeBron expressed his desire to finish his career playing alongside his son.
The younger James, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard, went into cardiac arrest and collapsed during a University of Southern California team practice in July. A spokesperson for his family said a congenital heart defect was the cause of the incident. His doctors cleared him to return to practice after four months, and he made his collegiate debut on Dec. 10 against Long Beach State. He appeared in USC’s final 25 games, starting six, and averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
When USC coach Andy Enfield left to take the head coaching job at SMU in March, questions surrounding his future further accelerated.
James, 19, declared for the NBA Draft on April 5th. He also entered the transfer portal to maintain his flexibility while training with an NBA team.
After USC’s coaching change, LeBron said Bronny “has to make some difficult decisions” regarding his future.
“At the end of the day, Bronny is his own man,” LeBron said in April.
Young James’ decision comes ahead of a big one for his father, who has until June 29 to decide whether to opt in to his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25. Team officials said last month that the Lakers were open to the possibility of help. LeBron will fulfill his dream of playing alongside his son by drafting him.
After Los Angeles was eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, LeBron declined to answer a question about whether he played in his final game as a Laker.
The NBA Draft will be held on June 26th and 27th.
Bronny plays hard, makes good decisions on offense, does the little things, passes well, leads fast break-off defensive rebounds, fills transition lanes, and attacks the rim when given the chance. It is planned as a D guard. He is a great defensive player who fights at the point of attack and has the length and foot speed to stick with most guards.
James’ offense is a work in progress. He’s struggled to create half-court paint touch this year and isn’t much of a pull-up shooter yet. He shot just 27 percent from three last season, but at USC he looked confident in shooting threes and is more talented at it than his percentage suggests. — Sam Veceny, NBA Draft Writer
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images)
