In Summary
- The eldest son of LeBron James becomes 1st player to be drafted into the NBA while his father is an active player.
- The Los Angeles Lakers select Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
- News of the teen star’s selection has been received warmly as the new Lakers coach JJ Redick is already planning how to make Bronny better.
Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in Thursday’s second round of the NBA Draft, setting up the first father-son combination in NBA history.
It’s a dream come true for four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James, who said for years he dreamed of playing alongside his son.
“In the history of the NBA, there has never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “That feels like something that could be magical.”
LeBron, a 39-year-old Lakers playmaker and four-time NBA champion, will be busy on the US team at the Paris Olympics next month while son Bronny is set to join the Lakers in NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas.
LeBron James posted photos on Instagram with the one-word caption “LEGACY!!!!!!” and images of himself with Bronny as a child, of both of them dunking and another with father and son side-by-side in Lakers jerseys.
Bronny James, a guard for the University of Southern California, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Trojans last season after a stellar high school career and also impressed scouts at an NBA combine.
At a practice session last July, USC freshman James collapsed after suffering cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect.
The teenager was released from the hospital a few days later and doctors approved him playing both in US college basketball and, last month, in the NBA.
The teen star is seen as a top defensive prospect with elite athletic skills and strong instincts for the game but might need time to develop fully as an NBA player.
“We’re excited to see this story unfold,” said Robert Todd Pelinka Jr, the American basketball executive, lawyer and sports agent.
Pelinka also added that the new Lakers coach JJ Redick is already planning how to make Bronny better.
“It’s an honor for us to add him to our program. Coach Redick is already excited about putting a development plan around him to increase his basketball skills and turn him into a player we think can impact and help this franchise.”
LeBron James has until Saturday to opt into the final year of his Lakers contract or become a free agent, which could set up a new Lakers deal. The status gave him options should Bronny have ended up elsewhere in the NBA.
“We know and have to respect that LeBron has a decision about his opt out and I’m sure he and his family will decide what they are going to do there,” Pelinka said.
“If it worked out that he was on our team next season, history could be made — and NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”
