USC guard Bronny James – the son of four-time MVP LeBron James – will declare for the 2024 NBA draft in addition to entering the NCAA transfer portal, he announced today (via Instagram).
LeBron’s oldest son, Bronny spent his first college season at USC in 2023/24. His debut was delayed due to a health scare last July, when he suffered cardiac arrest and had to be rushed to a hospital. While he was eventually cleared to play, he made modest contributions for the Trojans, averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game across 25 appearances (six starts).
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the plan is for Bronny to visit and work out for NBA teams, then decide based on the feedback he receives whether to remain in the draft and go pro or return to school for at least one more year.
After his cardiac arrest and a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect, the 19-year-old will need to be evaluated and cleared by the NBA’s Fitness to Play panel before he can work out for teams or participate in May’s draft combine, notes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. However, he’s free to meet with and interview for teams without that clearance.
Once considered by Jonathan Givony of ESPN to be a potential 2024 lottery pick with elite defensive upside, Bronny doesn’t show up in ESPN’s current top-100 list for this year’s draft. The USC freshman seems far less likely to be a one-and-done player than he once did, though agent Rich Paul told ESPN last month that he and Bronny will weigh specific team interest more heavily than draft position. That would mean seeking out the best developmental fit rather than trying to get drafted as high as possible.
Of course, LeBron has long professed a desire to play in the NBA with Bronny, but the Lakers star has dialed back on that talk within the last year or two, stressing that his son will have to make his own decisions and “be his own man,” as Paul told ESPN.
If Bronny does decide to withdraw from the draft and transfer to a new school, Duquesne is one possible landing spot to watch, sources tell Wojnarowski. Dru Joyce, the program’s new head coach, played high school basketball with LeBron and is a longtime family friend, Woj adds.
If he’s drafted at all, it’s due to good will and relationship building with Rich Paul for future deals…with other players.
Rich Paul is scum
his USC stats do not look like even a 2nd round if he was not related to LeBron.
FG: 36%
3pt : 27%
FT: 68%
Pts avg: 4.8
Reb avg:2.8
Ast avg: 2.1
only started 6 games out of 25 he was in.
Avg Min: 19.6
There were other players with similar minutes that did better.
Obviously it’s only because of his name. He’s Kostas Antetokounmpo 2.0
Those stats would have trouble finding a spot on a good European team.
His only hope of being drafted is overseas, he isn’t an nba player at all. If he ever gets a chance it’s only because of his dad.
Sounds like the corporate world, doesn’t it?
Considering his health history, mediocre stats and some slight hope that he will draw his dad to a team in the declining years of his career, all signs point to the Bulls using this year’s pick on Bronny. Totally fits this front offices m.o.
That does not at all sound like the Bulls front office. What draft pick ever would lead you to think so.
Bro is still recovering. He should probably just spend another year at USC.
Bronny never has been an NBA talent. His stock among high school players had dropped to a point where he wasn’t ranked among the Top 50 high school prospects in the country. He was dropping like a rock. Then Givony and ESPN ran an NBA mock draft and had Bronny in the Top 10. Literally overnight, EVERYBODY’S Mock Drafts had Bronny in the Top 10 as an “elite 3-point shooter” because Givony, who has great credibility as a talent evaluator, said so. Everybody who follows and evaluates these guys knew it was trash. Once Bronny started playing games at USC everybody else except Bronny and LeBron knew it was trash too.
Bronny isn’t serious about being an NBA player. He is only serious about living the “life” of an NBA player. Hanging out. Playing ball. What 19-25 year-old doesn’t want to live the NBA “life”. After Pops gets him in playing … Pops will then groom him and the younger brother to run the Las Vegas franchise that Adam Silver will be awarding to LeBron’s ownership group. Younger brother is still in high school. Not an NBA talent, but like Bronny already starting to live the “life”. Still in high school, but currently on vacation in the Caribbean with his best friend, and their girlfriends …. Who are twins …. And happen to be P. Diddy’s daughters. These kids ain’t serious about the NBA. They don’t need to be. There future is already set.
“Younger brother is still in high school. Not an NBA talent, but like Bronny already starting to live the “life”. Still in high school, but currently on vacation in the Caribbean with his best friend, and their girlfriends …. Who are twins …. And happen to be P. Diddy’s daughters.”
Who could possibly GAF about this information, other than possibly a 14 year old girl?
Hey don’t let him pick on you. Btw Barry, do you know who Sabrina Carpenter is dating now?
It is making a point that they are already living the “life” of a billionaire. Like their parents. Basketball is not the outlet to the “good life”. They are already living like Rockefellers.
The ONLY “Icon’s” that would have their mind point to a 14-year old girl ….. Let’s just leave where your mind is at that. …. Clown!
Rockefellers lol tell me more about how Dewey beat Truman grandpa
he opted out of USC by entering transfer portal
Bronny is going to be a Los Angeles Laker with LeBron. No team is gonna get in the way of that and draft him. He is not a draftable talent.
We have a massive problem with developing basketball talent in the USA right now. Players that used to take 3 or 4 years in college as a given, are now just either one and done, or one and transfer to a new program and coach. Not about development any more. College coach doesn’t have a player long enough to “develop” them.
Cooper Flagg??? Just go ahead and disregard any nonsense about him being the next “great one”. I have told you for a while this kid doesn’t have an NBA “franchise” player game. Not even sure he is an NBA starter. He will need to be a perimeter scorer in the NBA ….. and he AIN’T no perimeter scorer in college or the pro’s. That ended in high school. There is a reason why he only scored 8 points on 3-9 shooting in the McDonald’s Game.
Cooper Flag is Tyler Hansborough.
He will be good at Duke and then disappear in the NBA.
Thanks for the info.
its not really information. its an opinion.
Thanks for commenting though.
Oh. You seemed so sure. I mean, I got what you were saying. They’re both white and go to Duke. Why wouldn’t you compare them?
They also have similar haircuts.
Hansbrough went to UNC
Not even sure Cooper Flagg is a difference-maker at Duke.
Barry,
Do you have any info on who Cooper Flag is dating?
Are u moving to Maine?
Already there bro.
Have fun there. I was happy to get out of there after 30 years
I figured your mind would be there.
When you actually have made your living off of basketball like I have, and have personal relationships with many of the agents, coaches, players, handlers, media, etc., you tend to get an awful lot of information that most don’t have. As opposed to the Icon’s sitting on the couch commenting and having their minds go where basement dwellers go.
Ain’t is not a word.
I think you mean ain’t ain’t a word
A lot of people underrating Bronny because of his dad. He’ll never be another LeBron so people think he is trash. I hear a lot of jealousy and bitterness poorly disguised as “hot takes”.
Or a bench player at a bad PAC-12 team, which btw PAC 12 was not a strong conference, who when they did start averaged 4 pts a game.
You might want to actually watch Bronny, he is lost in NCAA, which most freshman are, and he will be dominated in the NBA. His only hope is to become a defensive stopper and i doubt he can do that well enough.
He is Giannis’s brothers. Not good, but makes the guy you want better.
Bronny wouldnt make it through camp if his dad wasnt Lebron.
I mean he was sitting behind two good upperclassmen and the #1 recruit from the previous season so its not like he got beat out by a bunch of no name, 2 star recruits.
I agree that a lot of his draft stock is tied to being LeBron’s son and the “potential”. He would be better served staying at least one more year in college to better showcase his skills. There’s probably a little bit of pressure to come out earlier than he should so he and his dad can be on the same team though.
He does have some legit 3-and-D potential which was what his profile was coming out of HS. I don’t think many people thought he was some generational, can’t miss recruit but he is/was a legit good perimeter defender coming out of HS and the question was how much the rest of his game would develop.
Imo his stock is a double edged sword, he’s getting a little more praise than he should because of who his dad is but he’s also going to get more criticism because of that. Kid could go undrafted and have like a 5-10 year career as a rotational combo guard and people will probably call him a bust.
Nah, I think he is being overrated by even considering the draft. He’s not starting talent on a college team… how would he be bench talent on a pro team?
Nice try.. Bronny has school yard talent at best. Europe is laughable.
The Lakers will probably purchase a very late second round pick and choose Bronny. He’ll then float around the G League mostly but get called up and have his couple of games next to Dad on the floor for the lakers.
That’ll be enough to provide the dream come true for both men.
After perhaps a year or two with the Lakers G League he’ll probably have to head to Europe or elsewhere to have a paying basketball career.
4 points 18 coming off a heart attack. Yahhhh.
Look, I’m not a LBJ fan, nor was I overly impressed with what I saw out of Bronny this year. To be fair to the kid though, cardiac arrest is serious, and his season didn’t start until it was a third of the way through.
Someone’s going to take a flyer on him at the end of the first round. I see him as a better passing Frank Ntilikina. That’s probably not 1st round pick worthy, but somewhere between 25-30 wouldn’t be a shock either. Maybe the Lakers deal their 2024 2nd (via Clips) plus a future second (2025) to move up enough in the second round to granb him. Maybe Boston, who already has $200M on the books for next year, doesn’t want to pay out a guaranteed contract that comes with the 30th pick, and may prefer a couple of 2nds to take flyers/overseas players on.
Agreed. Some owner is going to jump in and tell the front office to draft him in the second round and hope to score on good will with Paul and create some home sales with the kid on the bench. Definitely not draft pick worthy, but his AAU skills will play well in G-League and the occasional call up when dad comes to town.
LeBron, nor Bronny, have any desire to leave Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles lifestyle. Guys. This is no longer about winning basketball games for the James family. LeBron knows his title days are over. He ain’t leaving L.A. to chase a ring.
Agreed. Lebron has too much invested in LA that’s outside of basketball. But keep in mind Paul has other clients, which is what I was alluding to. Bronny will go to wherever he gets drafted, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the Lakers.
On talent alone he is not worth a second round pick. If he gets picked it’s just to get his dad in uniform for a year
What talent.
Dude is a scrub, sorry not sorry
He hasn’t shown enough yet. Best thing is to transfer. To school you can start at or play major mins. Get your game in order. Then go to draft. But let’s face it ……….
How many of us. Have a direct connection to playing in NBA. Giannis brother is not there cause they need him. Life literally gives you opportunities sometimes. Why shouldn’t Brony use them. Imo he’s not ready. But can play in G-league. Be the 14-16 man on team. Learn and get a chance to play with his dad.
Let’s face it …….. Lakers will bring him in.
Don’t see Bron playing after one more yr.
Andy Enfield is coming in to take over the USC program and that would certainly help Bronny’s development and stature as a rising star in the college ranks. I think his best move is to stay put at least for next season and then see how things shake out.
LeBron needs to put his kid ahead of the last items on his career bucket list, and kill the talk of this potential side show now. The kid needs to transfer to a place (college program outside of the L.A. area) where he can work on his game, as well as his life, out of Dad’s shadow and narratives. Not inspire a future 30 for 30 documentary.
The kid needs to realize he cannot ball and shame on daddy for encouraging failure.
Nba getting worse by the day.
This just in – the waters are very cold.
Shaq’s kids couldn’t even get a big as him to get a chance in the league.
Bronny body is not NBA ready and probably won’t ever be. He has access to world class trainers, but it won’t matter. Once Bron sr is out of the league Bronny would not get any looks.
LeBron thought so highly of himself to name his kid after himself. It’s LeBron James Jr not bronny
100% Sixers. Only way to get LBJ in town. May be the only legit shot at a title with Embiid too. Prime is going out the window.
A simple question. If you’re an NBA GM, do you spend a first- or early second-round pick on Bronny James with the known medical history? How do you add safeguards to keep him healthy and productive over the expanse of an NBA season?
IMHO, LeBron’s dream of playing alongside Bronny in the NBA all but died when Bronny had the cardiac episode. And if that didn’t kill the dream, Bronny’s stats as a freshman at USC all but did. If Bronny is intent on playing in the NBA, he needs to stay in school and develop more at the college level.
At the moment, this all has comparisons to the Ball brothers. None of them could escape their dad’s obsession with having them be star pro ball players so he could reap that fame and parlay it into self-promotion (Big Baller Brand). We’ve seen how the Balls have ended up thus far in the NBA.
Bronny may yet develop into a serviceable NBA talent, but he is years away from being able to make any meaningful contribution to an NBA team.