Lakers’ LeBron James on If USC’s Bronny Will Enter 2024 NBA Draft: ‘It’s Up to Him’

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 19, 2024

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

LeBron James has never made it a secret that he wants to play in the NBA at the same time as his son, Bronny James, either on the same team or against one another.

But the elder James told the Inside the NBA crew on TNT before Sunday’s All-Star Game that Bronny would ultimately make the decision about whether to go pro or stay in school.

“It’s up to him. It’s up to the kid,” he said. “Obviously we gonna go through the whole process. He’s still in season now, has the Pac-12 tournament coming up. … We gonna weigh our options, and we gonna let the kid make the decision.”

Rumors have been flying of late that teams may try to pry James away from the Los Angeles Lakers if he doesn’t exercise his $51.4 million player option this offseason, and one way to potentially court him would be drafting Bronny.

“Not only are rival executives increasingly convinced that James might want out, but they’re also focused on the Bronny James factor, which continues to loom large. James has been talking for years now about the dream scenario of playing with his oldest son who, if he chooses, can leave USC this summer and enter the draft. The idea, then, is that any team that wants to up its chances of landing James should make it a priority to go after Bronny first.”And a few days earlier, NBA reporter Marc Stein noted: “I know of at least two teams on the NBA map that believe James would consider signing with them at far less than $51.4 million if Bronny is on the roster. There might be more.”

There’s little need for rumors when it comes to James’ desire to play with his son, however—he’s publicly expressed that dream scenario.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in Jan. 2023. “I got to be on the floor with Bronny,”

“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,” he added. “I don’t mean like [guarding one another all game]—because he’s a point guard and I’m a—at this point now I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”

The major question mark in all of this, however, is whether Bronny is actually anywhere close to being NBA-ready. This season for USC, he’s averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.5 minutes per game while shooting just 36.5 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three. He’s made just six starts in 18 total appearances.

Those numbers don’t exactly pop off the page, and while Bronny James is a solid defender and distributor, he would likely be a minus on the offensive end early in his career. Maybe he could eventually carve out a role for himself at the NBA level, but most prospects with his profile are better served spending more time in college.

But most prospects aren’t the son of LeBron James. And that adds a whole different element to the entire situation.