By Shams Charania, Lucas Weiss and Sam Veseny
Brony James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, will be in the 2024 NBA draft, according to league sources.
James, who suffered a heart attack last July, has been fully cleared to play by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel before returning to the court for his freshman season at USC and will participate in all pre-draft activities beginning with the NBA Draft Combine. This week.
Although not considered a top prospect – James was not included AthleticSunday’s post-lottery mock draft — his last name and return to the court following a serious health scare made him one of the most notable players in this year’s draft class.
There’s also the added intrigue of whether James and his father could become teammates. LeBron expressed his desire to end his career playing with his son.
The younger James, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard, collapsed from a heart attack during a USC team practice in July. A family spokesperson said the cause of the incident was congenital heart defect. Doctors cleared him to return to practice four months later, and he made his collegiate debut on December 10 against Long Beach State. He appeared in USC’s final 25 games, starting six and averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes.
Questions about his future intensified when his college coach at USC, Andy Enfield, left for the head coaching vacancy at SMU in March.
James, 19, declared for the NBA draft on April 5. He also entered the transfer portal to maintain flexibility as he worked for NBA teams.
Following the USC coaching change, LeBron said Brony “had to make some tough decisions” about his future.
“At the end of the day, Brony is his own man,” LeBron said in April.
The younger James’ decision comes ahead of a big one for his father, who must decide by June 29 whether to pick up his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25. Team sources said last month that the Lakers were open to the opportunity to help. LeBron is building and fulfilling his dream of playing with his son.
LeBron refused to answer a question about whether he played his final game as a Laker after Los Angeles was eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in five games.
The NBA Draft will be held June 26-27.
Broney plays a 3-and-D guard who plays hard, makes good decisions on offense, does the little things, passes well, breaks defensive rebounds fast, fills transition lanes and attacks the rim when he gets the chance. He’s a terrific defender who fights at the point of attack and has the length and foot speed to stick with most guards.
James’ crime spree continues. He has struggled to make any halfcourt paint touches this year and is still not a pull-up shooter. He made just 27 percent of his 3s last season, though he was more confident taking them at USC and has a higher shooting ability than his percentage shows. — Sam Veseny, NBA draft writer
(Photo: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
