Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has surely given the world plenty to chatter about. He is the most-discussed second round pick in NBA history.
And that by itself is a striking achievement.
So is getting drafted to the NBA just one year after suffering a potentially life-threatening cardiac arrest. For the most part, fans are rooting for James’ success, no matter how much they may dislike his father. Now in his third season, James still has plenty to prove and battles even more doubt surrounding his NBA future.
Lakers Guard Could Make Never-Before-Seen NBA History
For months, James has been speculated as a candidate to be waived. With the Lakers above the NBA-mandated roster limit, something will have to be done before the regular season starts in five days. Either L.A. makes a trade to fortify the roster, potentially even adding an impact player, or simply waives someone to trim the roster from 16 players to 15.
Fascinatingly, if James gets waived, he will make rather forgettable NBA history as the only player to be waived while his father remains an active NBA player. Talk about the unexpected of the unexpected. When James was drafted in 2024, surely very few people thought he would be out of the league before his father, considering the elder James was 39 at the time and had reportedly mulled retirement the previous summer.
Of course, the younger James would not want to go down in history as the only player in such a brutally rare category. The good news is that the 22-year-old guard is not expected to get waived; Lakers wings Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy are higher on the list of potential cuts than James is, particularly Knecht, the 25-year-old former first round pick who has been outperformed by James after both players’ rookie season in the 2024-25 campaign.
James Needs to Finish Preseason Strong
Don’t think James is the most maligned second round pick in NBA history? Check out the discourse that has erupted after each Lakers preseason game.
James is coming off an unsightly performance against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, scoring zero points despite playing 11 minutes. And to make matters worse, head coach JJ Redick was rather blunt in his public assessment of not just how James played Tuesday but how he has played in four preseason games.
“I thought he had a really nice September and a good summer with us,” Redick said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “I don’t think he’s played well in the four preseason games, but he’s had good practices. I mean, again, some of it’s just rhythm, some of it’s who he’s playing with, right? He’s played a lot of minutes, especially in the second half of games with our two-way guys.”
The Lakers will wrap up their preseason slate Friday against the conference-rival Denver Nuggets. In what could be a dress rehearsal game, the Lakers could trot out their regulars and play them heavier minutes, which could mean not much playing time for James.
But James would hope to get on the floor at least as much as last game to allow himself the opportunity to generate some momentum entering the regular season.
Lakers’ Bronny James Could Make Unexpected NBA History Within 5 Days