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Despite LeBron James’ pleas to let Bronny James be a kid and enjoy his fleeting time as a college athlete, fans are still concerned about his NBA future.
And it’s not just fans wondering how his game will progress once he goes pro; NBA execs are also aware that drafting him earns them a chance to also sign LeBron because he’s outright said he dreams of playing with Bronny.
Now, we know that NBA teams aren’t taking King James’ dream as lip service, and no matter how slim the chances are, they’ll take the package deal.
An Eastern Conference exec, who chose to remain anonymous, told ESPN’s Jeremy Woo that many teams are intrigued.
“I think everyone is preparing for him to go in the draft, and I’m dead serious — I think a lot of teams will take the stance that they’ll draft him if there’s a 1% chance LeBron will join them,” the exec said. “So, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t enter. Will he stay in? I don’t know.”
Last month, LeBron was upset that Bronny’s ranking dropped from being a top player in the 2024 Draft to coming up as a projected No. 39 pick in 2025 after he’d completed another year at USC and developed his game more. His freshman season finished this week, and he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 25 games.
However, with LeBron having a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season and reportedly looking to sign a major deal with the Lakers in the offseason, there’s gotta be a pretty sweet deal for the Lakers.
“I don’t know that he’s dead set on coming out. But I know some teams would consider drafting him on the hope they can sign LeBron, as well,” the exec continued. “A team would have to have room or have assets the Lakers would want, and I don’t see that as likely, but I think there will be teams that will take that approach.”
NBA fans are still unsure of Bronny’s NBA potential, see the reactions below.
