Bronny James, first son of NBA superstar Lebron James failed to make the cut on the first night of the 2024 NBA draft. It wasn’t a surprise, since he wasn’t considered a first-round pick by many people entering the 2024 NBA Draft.
According to Yahoo Sports ranking, Bronny James was the No. 54 prospect in the draft. Although James was left out on Wednesday, sources suggest that he might make the second round and possibly play with his father.
Bronny worked out only for the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns before the draft. The Suns do not have a pick in the second round — they lost one due to a tampering violation, but they can still make a trade.
Many sports analysts have assumed that Bronny would play for the Los Angeles standing with the No. 55 overall pick. The Lakers used their only other pick of the draft at No. 17 overall to take Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, possibly the biggest steal of the draft.
If Bronny makes it to the Los Angeles Lakers, it would give the Lakers the first on-court father-son combo in NBA history.
James is seen at this stage as a developmental prospect at best, having averaged only 4.8 points per game in a one-season USC career shortened by cardiac arrest, and that could discourage teams from taking a flier on him.
Unlike his father, who stands at 6ft 9in and is the NBA’s leading all-time scorer, Bronny is 6ft 1in and is more of a defensive player.
However, being the son of a four-time NBA champion and four-time Most Valuable Player brings extra attention along with it. so, maybe the Lakers would consider business.
Lakers veteran LeBron, 39, is likely entering the final year of his career and could become a free agent this summer by declining his $51.4m (£40.6m) player option when the window opens at the end of June.
Two 19-year-old Frenchmen, Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr, have been projected in the top two spots for the draft.
Risacher is 6ft 9in and plays for top division French team JL Bourg-en-Bresse as a small forward. Sarr is 7ft 1in and plays for Australian team Perth Wildcats as a forward or center.
Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard, 20, University of Connecticut center Donovan Clingan, 20, and his 19-year-old team-mate Stephon Castle, who plays as a guard, have all been projected in the top five.
