Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, will keep his name in the 2024 NBA Draft. This was confirmed by his agent Rich Paul in a recent conversation with ESPN.
James entered the 2024 NBA Draft following an underwhelming freshman season with the USC Trojans. Heart issues forced him to miss the first part of the season, and he only managed to average 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists once he returned to the court.
Alongside declaring himself for draft, James also entered transfer portal in order to explore his options. But it now appears that he and his representatives decided he is better off making the transition to pros sooner rather than later.
“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul said. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don’t care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team’s strategy, the opportunity, and the financial commitment. That’s why I’m not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that.”
Part of the reason why Paul is confident that James will be drafted is his combine performance where he managed to alleviate some concerns regarding his game and show off explosiveness and athleticism alongside improved shooting. Additionally, there is a better chance that a team takes a chance on James this season, as the 2025 class is considered much stronger.
There has been a lot of chatter in recent months about James playing alongside his father on the Lakers, but according to Paul, that isn’t the main goal for his client.
“The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else,” he added. “If they value him enough and he’s there, that’s great. If it’s not the Lakers, that’s great. I won’t be mad if it’s not. It’s obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that’s not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I’m not building on that.”
