Bronny James has decided to enter the 2024 NBA Draft, the son of LeBron James announced on Instagram.
The 19-year-old shared he will also maintain his college eligibility and enter the NCAA transfer portal. In other words, he’ll likely take a few meetings with NBA teams and get a better idea of where he stands. If he wants to participate in workouts or the combine, however, he’ll need some further approval by the NBA.
Before Bronny’s first season at USC, the guard suffered cardiac arrest and had to work his way back up to full strength. While he eventually received medical clearance to participate at the college level, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski notes that the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel must approve Bronny’s eligibility to participate in team workouts
Bronny’s first season at USC left a lot to be desired. The former McDonald’s All-American appeared in 25 games – starting only six – and averaged 4.8 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. He also shot just 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from downtown. Of course, considering his health scare, it’s impressive he was able to suit up at all. But there remain some serious questions about his life as a pro.
If Bronny does get the feedback he’s looking for and remains a part of the 2024 NBA Draft Class, it will be fascinating to see where he ends up. All eyes will also be on how this might impact his father’s positioning in LA, who has long expressed a desire to play alongside his son.
With that said, if the feedback isn’t overwhelmingly positive, Bronny James will still have a chance to take the NCAA basketball world by storm. Where he decides to play next season will be a significant talking point, as the expectation will be for him to take a big step in the right direction.
So the Bulls are going to draft him and then trade for LeBron, right?