Bronny James is going to sign a fully guaranteed, multiyear deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is reportedly anomalous for a second-round pick in the NBA Draft.
With this development, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James is virtually guaranteed a spot on the roster with his famous father to start the 2024-25 season, The Atlantic reports.
The news is momentous in that LeBron James Sr. and Jr. will officially become the first father and son to play on the same team — at the same time — in NBA history. This is, of course, a rare happenstance in any sport; fellow Buckeye State native Ken Griffey Jr. played alongside his father, Ken Griffey, on the Seattle Mariners in the early 1990s.
Conversely, most other second-round NBA Draft picks must normally showcase sterling performances in the Summer League tournament and pre-season training camps to earn a two-way contract.
A two-way contract in the NBA allows players to be active for up to 50 regular-season games with their NBA team while also playing in the G League, which is tantamount to the minor leagues in Major League Baseball. The players, however, are ineligible to play in the postseason.
The agent for LeBron James Sr. and Jr. indicated to the Bleacher Report that a two-way contract was not under consideration.
“Yes, that’s absolutely true,” Rich Paul told the news outlet. “Teams know that. I’m not doing that.”
Sports pundits and fans alike remain skeptical of Bronny James’ talent level and overall professional readiness after being picked No. 55 in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Coming off a near-fatal cardiac arrest episode during practice at the University of Southern California a year ago, Bronny James returned and deposited rather pedestrian numbers while coming off the bench for a mediocre Trojan squad. The son’s freshman numbers of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game do not bespeak of a player that is adequately equipped for NBA combat, his critics decried vociferously.
