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Bronny James’ agent confirms final NBA Draft decision
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Bronny James is confirmed to be staying in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Earlier this month, basketball insider Shams Charania reported that sources indicated James was expected to remain in the draft. On Wednesday, James’ agent Rich Paul provided confirmation to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony.
“He’s staying in the draft,” Paul told ESPN.
Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline for withdrawal from the NBA Draft to be able to return to college. James played his freshman season at USC before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft and placing his name into the NCAA transfer portal.
Last year, James suffered cardiac arrest, leading him to have a procedure that addressed a congenital heart defect. He returned to the court in December, playing in 25 games, including 6 starts. The NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel cleared James as healthy enough to be drafted and a full participant in the combine.
Where will Bronny James land?
As the son of LeBron James, Bronny is already a polarizing prospect to many fans. His freshman season adds to the eyerolls from basketball fans who see the prospect receive more media attention than his higher-ranked peers.
At USC, James did not set the world on fire, or even the Pac-12 for that matter. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds over 19.6 minutes per game, shooting 36.6% from the field. James’ Trojans finished 15-18 in the 2023-24 season.
James is rated the No. 54 prospect in the NBA Draft by ESPN. According to reports, he has improved his stock at the combine.
That said, there are only 58 picks in the 2024 draft. Most years, there’s little national interest in prospects in the 50s. Most prospects, though, aren’t the son of a player considered the GOAT by many fans.
There is a lot of interest surrounding which team James will join. LeBron James has made it known that he wants to play alongside Bronny before retiring from the NBA.
DraftKings has odds for which team will draft Bronny James. LeBron’s Los Angeles Lakers lead the odds at +180, meaning a $100 bet would win $180 for a $280 payout if the Lakers draft Bronny.
A look at the top odds shows that there is a significant shift beyond the Lakers:
- Los Angeles Lakers +180
- Phoenix Suns +1000
- Philadelphia 76ers +1000
- Oklahoma City Thunder +1000
- Cleveland Cavaliers +1000
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GET THE APPWhile the market is undoubtedly influenced by LeBron’s stated desire, Bronny’s agent says landing with the Lakers would need to be a genuine match.
“The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “If they value him enough and he’s there, that’s great. If it’s not the Lakers, that’s great. I won’t be mad if it’s not. It’s obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that’s not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I’m not building on that.”
We’ll see what happens next month.
A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.