Until Thursday, there had never been a father-son duo playing in the NBA at the same time. And now, the first father-son pair is set to be teammates after the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James, LeBron James' oldest son, with the 55th pick in the second round of the draft.
“Beyond blessed,” Bronny James wrote in an Instagram post.
The James family received the news while gathering at an intimate dinner in New York, sources told ESPN. LeBron's mother, Gloria, and his wife Savannah's parents were in attendance, along with some of Bronny's closest friends and confidants.
After the Lakers announced their decision, LeBron led the group in a champagne toast to commemorate the occasion, a source told ESPN, and was “very excited” considering the weight of the moment.
the Los Angeles Lakers image.twitter.com/XES6ODc6ci
—Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) June 27, 2024
I've been working for this for a long time 💜 image.twitter.com/CJAt1Hluhv
– Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024
“In NBA history, there's never been a father and son who've shared an NBA basketball court and that seems like magic,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and of course we have to respect, that LeBron has a decision to make about whether to step down … but if he does end up on our team next season, NBA history could be written. And NBA history should be written in a Lakers uniform.”
Bronny, 19, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game in his lone season at USC. He joined the Trojans in game action midseason after being sidelined for nearly five months while recovering from a bout of cardiac arrest that required surgery to treat a congenital heart defect.
He was medically cleared for selection by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel on the eve of the draft combine.
The former McDonald's All American's stock improved in Chicago at the combine, where he tested well in agility drills and finished as one of the best in three-point shooting drills.
“Bronny is, first and foremost, a person of great character,” Pelinka said. “And, secondly, he's a young man who works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for when recruiting players and adding them to our development team at the Lakers.”
His father has until Saturday to opt out of the final year of his Lakers contract, worth $51.4 million for next season, or become an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers are focused on retaining LeBron James for his 22nd season and beyond and are willing to offer the 39-year-old the three-year, $162 million maximum contract he is eligible for to keep him with the franchise, sources told ESPN.
Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis told ESPN before Thursday's second round that he was rooting for the team targeting Bronny.
“He's very good defensively,” Davis told ESPN. “He can read the court very well. I think he is a very good playmaker. I saw him train a couple of times in addition to the [Klutch Sports] Pro day and working with a big man, his reads, reading the defense, making the right passes… that really impressed me. I think he'll do well, man. Obviously, he has a lot of pressure being who his father is.
“But there's something about Bronny, from what I've seen and what I've heard, is that he wants to create his own path and he doesn't want to be seen that way, even though he's LeBron James' son. And I think having that mentality and trying to create his own path is going to work for him. Who knows, maybe he'll come in and be ready to play for us.”
