The Philadelphia 76ers made the big move with a James this offseason, signing LeBron James in free agency.
But there was at least some belief around the NBA world that when LeBron picked his free agent destination, his son Bronny would end up joining him there, too.
But when the 76ers open the 2026-27 NBA season on Tuesday night, Bronny won’t be there. The 76ers didn’t make a move to acquire Bronny.
Instead, Bronny James remains in Los Angeles with the Lakers for his third NBA season.
Why Didn’t Bronny James Come to 76ers?
There are multiple reasons why Bronny remains with the Lakers rather than playing for the 76ers this season.
The first is his contract. He wasn’t a free agent like his dad, which meant that for Bronny to move, he would’ve had to be traded.
We can deduce that by the fact that the Lakers didn’t trade Bronny this season — and that they didn’t cut him before the NBA’s roster cutdown deadline — that they believe in his talent going forward. Los Angeles wants to see what Bronny can do going forward.
He was on the border of being cut, but the Lakers got rid of former first-round pick Dalton Knecht instead. Considering that LeBron is no longer around, that seems to be a genuine vote in favor of Bronny by the Lakers’ front office.
There’s also the 76ers’ side of things.
If Philadelphia didn’t want Bronny of their own accord, and if LeBron didn’t try to force their hand in trading for his son, then there wasn’t an inherent reason to expect them to land the younger James.
The biggest reason people thought Bronny would end up in Philadelphia was that they figured his dad might leverage it into happening. Evidently, that wasn’t the case.
Why Staying With Lakers Helps Bronny
The reality is that staying with the Lakers is probably the best outcome for Bronny himself, for a couple reasons.
One is simply stability. He already knows the coaching staff, the system and most of his teammates. By staying put, Bronny has a chance to feel comfortable in his surroundings and continue to build on the improvements he has already made in the NBA, rather than feeling like he has stepped back into a brand new situation.
There’s also the nepotism element. While Bronny may have made the NBA on his own merits, the fact that the Lakers drafted him while they already had LeBron certainly made it look like dad was pulling some strings for his son.
If that had been the apparent look again — which is what it would’ve felt like if the 76ers traded for Bronny from the Lakers — it would’ve been tough for Bronny to stand on his own and make his own name for himself.
Now on opposites coasts, the separation of the two James players in the NBA could work out better for Bronny in the long run, both for development and optics.
Why Bronny James Didn’t Follow Dad LeBron to Philadelphia 76ers