Bronny James appears ready to join his father in the NBA.
Bronny, the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, is planning to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft after being medically cleared to play in the league, The Athletic reported Monday.
The 19-year-old received clearance from the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel following his cardiac arrest due to a congenital heart defect last year, and is allowed to participate in the pre-draft combine this week, per ESPN.
The USC guard is expected to participate in five-on-five scrimmages starting Tuesday, according to ESPN.
Bronny’s future has been a major storyline entering this year’s draft since his future could be tied to his father’s.
James, 39, has said he hopes to play in the NBA with his son, and Bronny entering this year’s draft would potentially pave the way for that opportunity.
The team that drafts Bronny could, in theory, have the upper hand in landing James this summer. The four-time NBA MVP holds a $51.4 million team option with the Lakers for the upcoming season.
Los Angeles could draft Bronny in hopes it convinces James to stay around.
Bronny is projected as a second-round pick and mulltiple mock drafts have the Lakers using the 55th pick — a second-round selection — to draft the freshman, including The Ringer.
However, James’ agent, Rich Paul, recently downplayed how Bronny will affect his father’s plans.
“The idea of them playing together is not a priority. It’s not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James’ mind,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said.
“Rich Paul’s goal here in the pre-draft process for Bronny James is to see if there’s the right developmental organization, a place that can take a young player like Bronny James … If he does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League.
“That’s the priority for them as a family. What’s best for Bronny James? If it ends up them together, that would be great, but I don’t get a sense it’s playing much of any role in LeBron James’ decision on next season.”
If that’s the case, Bronny’s case is lacking for a freshman prospect.
Bronny averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6 percent — 26.7 percent from 3 — for a bad USC team that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
While acknowledging that Bronny even playing this season was a triumph in its own right, those statistics would not generate draft buzz for almost any other freshman.
Bronny declared for the draft in April while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.
Should Bronny decide before the May 29th deadline to return to college, he will transfer from USC, which lost the coach that recruited him in Andy Enfield.
