Bronny James, the son of NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday at Barclays Center.
James, a McDonald’s All-American at Sierra Canyon High before an underwhelming freshman season at USC, had been one of the most discussed second-round picks in recent memory.
Detractors pointed to his statistics, just 4.8 points on 36.6% shooting in 25 games, and his size at 6-foot-1½ as the primary reasons why he didn’t belong on draft boards.
His supporters see a projectable NBA athlete with the potential to impact the game on the defensive end and with a positive trajectory as a shooter. At the NBA combine, James shot the ball incredibly well in drills to build some momentum before the draft.
It has been impossible, though, to separate James from his famous father, who can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
At the combine, multiple NBA executives admitted to having meetings to talk about Bronny James as potential means to either lure his father to their organizations or as a potential trade piece.
In the second scenario, teams believe they could potentially recoup draft capital in the future from LeBron James’ team should Bronny’s situation not be seen as ideal.
All of it has clouded the positive storylines at stake. First, LeBron and Bronny James can become the first father and son to share an NBA court. And second, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest last summer, and he’s fully recovered.
During the broadcast of the second round, ESPN’s Bob Myers, the former general manager for the Golden State Warriors, reported that teams were told not to pick Bronny James, and that his agent, Rich Paul, threatened that James would go play overseas in Australia.
James’ only known workouts in the pre-draft process were with the Phoenix Suns and the Lakers.
