The Los Angeles Lakers Are Open To Drafting LeBron James' Son Bronny: Report
The Los Angeles Lakers are open to the possibility of drafting Bronny James, the elder son of LeBron James, according to a report published in The Athletic on Tuesday.
The team is potentially open to helping LeBron James fulfill his dream of playing alongside Bronny in the NBA, The Athletic reported, citing unidentified sources.
Bronny, who recently finished his freshman season for the University of Southern California men’s basketball team, announced earlier this month that he had declared for the 2024 NBA draft, which will be held in June.
He also said at the time that he planned to maintain his college eligibility, as well as enter the NCAA transfer portal, an online database for student athletes wanting to change schools.
Bronny, 19, said in his statement that he’d “had a year with some ups and downs.” He suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout with the USC Trojans last summer, and made his college basketball debut with the team in December.
A representative for the Los Angeles Lakers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LeBron James has expressed his desire to play alongside Bronny on several occasions.
In a 2021 appearance on “Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers,” an IMDb TV docuseries from his multimedia brand Uninterrupted, James said he hopes to one day “be on the court” with Bronny.
“I think that will be an unbelievable moment,” he said at the time.
Last year, in an ad for Beats by Dre headphones, James hinted that he had also set his sights on playing with his younger son, Bryce James, 16.
The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the first-round playoff series on Monday night after losing to the Denver Nuggets 108-106.
When asked during a post-game press conference on Monday to share his thoughts on potentially playing in the league with Bronny, the Lakers star said he hadn’t “given it much thought, lately.”
“Obviously I’ve thought about it in the past,” James said, adding that Bronny has to “decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go.”
James, 39, later declined to say whether Monday night’s game might have in fact been his last with the Lakers, as he also has the options of becoming a free agent or retiring.
“I’m not going to answer that,” James told a reporter with a smile. “Appreciate it.”
People on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared their thoughts on the idea of the Lakers potentially drafting Bronny:
If the Lakers do this, they're essentially giving up on competing for a title until LeBron retires
Whether you think LeBron is a fraud or the GOAT, I think most rational ppl can agree that a 40 year old can't be your #1 guy on a team that has championship aspirations— Jeb (Steven Adam's Stunt Double) (@ActuallyJebBush) April 30, 2024
Makes perfect sense for the Lakers to draft Bronny. This is the equivalent of the Lakers giving Kobe $50M or so on his way into retirement. It’s why major stars want to play for the Lakers. The franchise values keeping stars happy. LeBron is going to keep fans in the seats as… https://t.co/NivW3iKcem
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 30, 2024
The Lakers more than any other team need star power. So, I would not be surprised if they max out LeBron's contract and draft Bronny. It is about staying in the news more than anything else IMO. https://t.co/zRNr94o78a
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) April 30, 2024
Lakers won't win anymore Championships with Lebron. They will become a circus next year when they sign his son Bronny.
— Opie Radio podcast (@OpieRadio) April 30, 2024