Bronny James has played less than one full year of college basketball at the University of Southern California. He has averaged 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19.5 minutes through 21 games.
Despite the unimpressive numbers and lack of significant time on the court, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman may still choose to turn pro ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. His agent left the door wide open.
LeBron James Sr. has long stated his desire to play alongside LeBron James Jr. in the NBA. At 39 years old, the clock is ticking. Especially with the current structure of his contract.
LeBron Sr. signed a two-year contract with the Lakers two years ago. A player option will allow him to return to Los Angeles on a one-year deal next season. It’s up to him!
However, there is a lot of speculation that the greatest basketball player of the modern era could leverage his son. He might only play for a team that will draft Bronny and essentially said as much back in 2022.
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.
— LeBron James
While that may still be the plan, it made a lot more sense two years ago.
Bronny suffered cardiac arrest prior to his freshman year of college and had to work his way back onto the court. His time with the Trojans has not indicated that he is ready for the next level — yet.
As a result, ESPN moved Bronny James off of its 2024 NBA Mock Draft and moved him to 2025. LeBron responded by begging the media to stop speculating and let his son live.
Not long thereafter, Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul explained to ESPN how he and the James family are going to handle Bronny’s future. It has nothing to do with 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.
— Rich Paul
Paul, who represents LeBron, Bronny and Bryce, added that the “right team” does not necessarily mean his dad’s team. “Necessarily” might be the key word there.
He also said that LeBron wants Bronny to “be his own man,” but would be “head over heels excited” if they organically ended up playing on the same team. “Organically” is definitely the key word there.
All of this goes to say that it remains possible that Bronny will turn pro. That decision will be made based on team interest. And team interest is presumably based on wanting LeBron, who has said before that his last year in the NBA will be his first year with Bronny.
Bronny is not yet ready for the league and will not draw interest on his own at this current point in time. However, a team that has interest in his dad might then have interest in him. Read between the lines!