NEW YORK — For Bronny James, the anticipation is over. Now, the work of being an NBA participant begins.
James simply went via one of the extremely scrutinized pre-draft processes in current reminiscence, all by advantage of being the son of LeBron James. He was below a highlight in contrast to anybody else in his draft class, as he has been since he was a freshman in highschool. In a yr with none high-profile names on the prime of the draft and no clear-cut No. 1 decide, James was the draft’s foremost attraction, going fifty fifth total to the Los Angeles Lakers, his father’s crew.
The second Bronny James was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers 🙌
🎥 _justbryce/IG pic.twitter.com/lnaTFSWabB
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 27, 2024
Whereas the hype will proceed, and the fishbowl will observe him to the league, James’ precise life within the NBA is about to be fairly extraordinary. As a late second-round decide, little is predicted of him as a participant. Most gamers drafted that late are lucky to get a assured contract, although Wealthy Paul, James’ agent at Klutch Sports activities Group, stated publicly James wouldn’t signal a two-way deal. Many late second-rounders don’t even make the roster when the common season begins or keep on it because it endures.
Bronny James, nonetheless, isn’t like different rookies. His path ahead, at the least from a basketball perspective, might be typical. However his circumstances over the following yr might be extremely uncommon. A newly minted NBA participant at 19, in his first yr with the Lakers, he could spend practically on daily basis of the following yr along with his dad.
LeBron James has to first determine if he desires to stick with the franchise. He can opt-out of his contract for subsequent season and has till Saturday to take action. If he does, he can re-sign and keep in Los Angeles. As soon as LeBron and Bronny are each below NBA contract, it will likely be the primary time a father and son have been collectively within the NBA on the similar time, not to mention performed collectively.
“That looks like one thing that may be magical,” Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka stated Thursday. “We all know and must respect that LeBron has a call about his opt-out. … If it labored out that he was on our crew subsequent season, NBA historical past might be made. And NBA historical past needs to be made in a Lakers uniform.”
Bronny James’ first time on a court docket in a Lakers uniform may be July 6, when the Lakers open a three-game slate on the California Basic Summer time League with a matchup towards the Sacramento Kings. Then comes a jaunt to Las Vegas for extra summer-league motion.
Coaching camp will start in September, probably in Hawaii, the place the franchise has held a number of preseason practices over time. Which may be a small measure of reduction for the James household as a keep from the unceasing consideration Bronny James is more likely to endure in Los Angeles. He could discover calm within the quotidian calls for of an NBA participant, from shootarounds to seemingly unending journey to the camaraderie of an expert crew.
How James handles the strain might be price watching, but he has handled it since he was a younger teenager. He admitted final month on the NBA Draft Mix that it will probably nonetheless be overwhelming.
“It’s loads,” he stated. “It’s constructed me into a powerful particular person. All this, I’m extraordinarily grateful, but it surely’s loads generally.”
It should actually be noisy and certain unfair. James will enter the NBA with a profile that far outstretches his pedigree. Expectations might be excessive, and claims of nepotism on the Lakers’ account might be loud. Any slip-up, and even the shortage of an opportunity to play, will solely heighten the strain.
All James has achieved is attempt to ignore it. He was the Seventeenth-ranked participant in his highschool class, based on consensus rankings. His lone season at USC was undercut by a daunting well being problem final July when he went into cardiac arrest throughout a observe and was rushed to a hospital. Whereas James recovered and returned to the ground and aggressive video games, he stated the worry from that day has lingered. It could have coloured his time at USC, the place he struggled as a freshman, averaging simply 4.8 factors and 19.3 minutes in 25 video games.
That didn’t diminish any conjecture about his future. In 2022, LeBron James stated he wished to play along with his son earlier than he retired. Bronny James has seen his profession run sidecar to his father ever since. Nonetheless, Bronny believed he wouldn’t be drafted simply due to his household ties.
“This can be a severe enterprise,” he stated final month. “And I don’t really feel like there could be a considered, ‘I’m simply drafting this child simply because I’m going to get his dad.’ I don’t assume a GM would actually permit that.”
Now, they’ll be collectively.
Simply making it to the NBA needs to be thought of successful for James, contemplating the chances of getting there, even for extremely rated highschool prospects. A participant drafted as little as James could be fortunate to get into an NBA recreation as a rookie, not to mention break via right into a crew’s rotation. Isaiah Wong, final yr’s fifty fifth total decide, performed in only one recreation for the Indiana Pacers this previous season. Solely six second-round picks from the 2023 draft appeared in at the least 40 video games this previous season.
Whether or not the Lakers maintain James within the NBA roster or ship him to the G League stays to be seen. Pelinka and new head coach JJ Redick have already made it recognized they anticipate this crew to be able to contend for a deep run into the playoffs after 47 wins and a first-round exit final spring.
Even gamers chosen excessive within the draft wrestle to be productive and environment friendly throughout their rookie yr. There might be scant couple of minutes obtainable for James, and he may have extra seasoning with the South Bay Lakers, the place he would get the taking part in time to develop.
“He’s not an individual that has ever taken shortcuts or anticipated or been entitled about basketball alternatives,” Pelinka stated. “He’s labored for the whole lot that he’s gotten, together with being chosen at present at 55.”
(Photograph: Jeff Haynes / NBAE through Getty Pictures)