Bronny James is aiming for the NBA after his agent, Rich Paul, confirmed he’ll stay in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“He’s staying in the draft,” Paul, the Klutch Sports CEO said to ESPN. James had until 11:59 p.m. on May 29 to decide if he is still going to keep his college eligibility.
It’s been quite the journey for Bronny as he gears up for the NBA Draft in June 2024. After just playing one season in college with the USC Trojans, he declared for the draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal, giving himself numerous options on how he wanted his career to go.
Bronny has had a good pre-draft process according to NBA scouts, and tested as one of the fastest and most explosive athletes in the draft combine earlier in May. He ranked second among 71 prospects in a pair of three-point shooting drills and also scored 13 points in the combined team scrimmage. Bronny recently attended the Klutch Sports pro day, which took place at the Los Angeles Lakers practice facility, where he was once again able to show the bright spots in his game.
The Lakers and Suns are interested in drafting Bronny James
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Bronny was scheduled to have workouts with 10 teams but declined all of them except for the Lakers and Phoenix Suns. His father, LeBron James, currently plays for Lakers and has mentioned the dream of playing with his son in the league before he retires. The Suns have the 22nd pick in the first round of the draft and were also rumored of trying to bring LeBron to play for their franchise.
Bronny’s ideal draft spot is late first-round to second-round, and Paul says he just wants the best situation for his client.
“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “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.”
Some think that Bronny should have stayed in college after having a lackluster freshman year, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Others think that he has the necessary tools to be a solid role player on an NBA team. Time will only tell, but there’s a good chance that Bronny will be on an NBA team at the end of the draft.
