Despite initially lofty ambitions for the former McDonald’s All-American, Bronny James may not turn pro at the end of his freshman campaign.
It is no secret that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James hopes to eventually play alongside his son in the NBA. The USC freshman guard could potentially declare for the 2024 NBA Draft at the end of this season and one way or another, his decision will have attention around the league.
Bronny was able to return to play after suffering a terrifying cardiac arrest before the season began. His teammates have since spoken glowingly about how Bronny has performed on the court.
But even before the health scare, talent evaluators had concerns that Bronny may not be ready for the NBA for several years. While he had shown “NBA potential” during his time in high school, he was never considered one of the best players in his class.
During NBA All-Star Weekend, TNT’s Kenny Smith was straightforward and asked LeBron if Bronny was planning on turning pro at the end of the season. Here is what he said:
“It’s up to him. It’s up to the kid. Obviously, we’re going to go through the whole process. He’s still in the season now, [he] has the Pac-12 tournament coming up … We’re going to weigh our options and we’re going to let the kid make the decision … It’s definitely not financial.”
Despite USC’s struggles, Bronny is still on draft boards for “multiple” teams, per Shams Charania. The guard, however, was not included in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft and we may have slightly more clarity as to why.
In the way-too-early mock draft from ESPN, Bronny is now instead projected to hear his name called in the 2025 NBA Draft. The guard is currently slated as a second-round pick at No. 39 overall (to the Portland Trail Blazers).
That especially matters to the Lakers because LeBron has a player option in his contract at the end of this season that would allow him to become a free agent and join whatever NBA team drafted the Trojans guard if the Lakers did not.
But if Bronny does not turn pro after his freshman campaign, one would expect LeBron will opt-in to his $51.4 million player option and return to the Lakers for another season. This would keep the Los Angeles core of LeBron and Anthony Davis together for at least one more season.
It is worth noting that the Lakers are reportedly “willing to explore the notion” of adding Bronny whenever he decides he is ready to turn pro, per The Athletic. That is a conversation for another time, though.
With plenty of time to go before the 2024 NBA Draft, let alone the 2024 NBA Draft, ESPN’s predictions aren’t necessarily going to dictate what will happen.
ESPN’s intel-based mock draft, however, could suggest that Bronny is open to the idea of another year of development before beginning his professional career. This is likely the best route for Bronny because it would give him more time to prove he is worthy of getting drafted based on his own merits.
