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Bronny James has become the top betting option to go No.1 overall in the 2024 NBA draft at BetMGM.
Yahoo Sports reported that James received 22.5% of the total bets to be selected No.1 overall in the NBA draft in June.
He shares the top spot with Frenchman and Perth Wildcats big man Alexandre Sarr, who also garnered 22.5% of the bets. UConn standout Donovan Clingan rounded out the top three with 15%.
The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the favorites among bettors to land James, garnering 22.1% of the betting handle.
The Cleveland Cavaliers — the team that drafted first overall in the 2003 NBA draft, selecting Bronny’s father LeBron James — placed second with 18.3%, while the Dallas Mavericks are in third with 6.1%.
The 19-year-old Bronny James is a massive +20000 underdog in this betting market at BetMGM.
Insider: LeBron James Will Not Follow Bronny James If Son Is Drafted Elsewhere
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, LeBron James is unlikely to follow his son to whichever team picks him in the draft.
“It would not surprise me in the coming weeks if a team does reach out to Rich Paul or anyone else that has an idea or LeBron James himself and says, ‘Hey, if we draft Bronny James, would you come as well?’” Charania said on the “Up & Adams Show” on May 17. “And the answer to that is going to be ‘no’ as of right now.”
It’s possible LeBron’s Lakers could draft his son after showing interest in a combine interview.
“If the Lakers go out there and draft Bronny James, they feel like he’s going to be a good fit for them,” Charania said.
He added that the Lakers’ coaching search will play a role in their draft picks since player development will be an important aspect of the organization in coming years. He reported that LeBron will only play “about up to two NBA seasons” and the Lakers will “have to prepare for life without him anyway.”
“One thing is the Lakers are in the midst of a coaching search and one important element of that search is going to be player development, and hiring someone for the next four, five, six years that can help you,” Charania added.
Bronny James Is Now at No. 54 on the ESPN NBA Mock Draft
Bronny James has now barged into the latest NBA mock draft by ESPN following his strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine.
Draft expert Jonathan Givony placed James at No.54 on the draft board, explaining that NBA GMs and scouts are starting to consider James as a legitimate NBA prospect.
“Talking to NBA people out here, they feel like he has legitimized himself as a real NBA prospect and that he’s not some kind of sideshow, LeBron’s son that the cameras are following,” Givony said on ESPN’s “NBA Today Show” on May 17.
Officially listed at 6-foor-1.5 and 210.4 pounds, James recorded 40.1 max vertical and knocked down 17 of 21 3-point attempts in the side-mid-side drills, per NBA.com stats/info.
After a disappointing performance in the first scrimmage, James made a strong impression in the second game after gathering 13 points, per Digits Score app. He also played good perimeter defense to lead his team to a victory
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