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Bronny James‘ fame (and its potential economic impact) have NBA front offices rethinking his draft stock, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Bronny James is going to have an impact for organizations, not just on the basketball side, but potentially on the business side,” Wojnarowski said on the May 13 episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “He’s almost assuredly going to start in the G League. He will pack G League arenas, merchandising, all of those make him an attractive player.
“Whether it’s late first round or second round,” Wojnarowski said, speaking from the draft combine in Chicago. “So I think certainly, his opportunity to play in the NBA will be there.”
Being the oldest son of LeBron James put Bronny, 19, into the spotlight as he grew up playing basketball. It’s also the core reason why Bronny has an estimated $3.7 million NIL value, per On3, and a combined 13.4 million followers across all social media platforms.
While the 4.8 points per game he averaged during his freshman year at USC wouldn’t suggest that he’s ready for the NBA, Bronny beginning his career in the G League (the NBA’s official minor league organization) would provide him an opportunity to further develop his skills.
Bronny James’ Excellent NBA Draft Combine
The 2024 NBA Draft Combine is taking place from through May 19, This bringing together 78 NBA prospects at Wintrust Arena, where they partake in various shooting and agility drills, have physical measurements taken, undergo athletic and medical testing, compete in scrimmages, and interview with teams.
Bronny was among the prospects invited to the 2024 event. And his performance on May 13 got a lot of attention.
Bronny was initially scrutinized for was his height measurement. Despite being listed as 6’4″ on USC’s website, the combine measurement listed him at 6 feet, 1.5 inches without shoes, per Nick Kalinowski.
Soon after that, combine invitees had their vertical jumps assessed. Bronny produced a max 40.5-inch vertical jump, which was fourth most among all participants, per Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney.
Although the most impressive aspect of Bronny’s combine performance was his three point shooting. He made 19 out of 25 shots in this drill, which was second best out of all invitees.
Bronny’s excellent shooting on May 13 was notable because he shot 26.7% from three point range during his freshman season at USC. So this event showed that he’s a better marksman than those stats would indicate.
He also performed well during the movement shooting drill.
This is notable because this drill assesses conditioning, and a player’s ability to shoot while tired. Conditioning is a critical for assessing Bronny’s NBA draft stock, since he suffered cardiac arrest while playing basketball in July 2023.
Los Angeles Lakers Interested in Drafting Bronny
Even before Bronny’s combine performance, the Los Angeles Lakers had expressed their interest in drafting him.
During an April 30 appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” show, The Athletic’s Shams Charania said, “[LeBron James’ player] option date is June 29. Interesting timing, right? It’s right before free agency, and right after the draft.
“And what’s potentially on draft night? His son Bronny James,” Charania continued. “And in a perfect world, the Lakers have LeBron James back, and potentially they draft Bronny James. I’m told they are interested in picking him in the draft in June.”
The NBA draft takes place on June 27, 2024.