Bronny James Drafted By Lakers—Pairing Him With Father LeBron James

Topline

Bronny James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday, placing the 19-year-old on the same team as his father and four-time NBA champion LeBron James.

Key Facts

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Forbes Valuation

We estimate LeBron’s net worth at $1.2 billion. The NBA veteran in 2022 became the first active player in the league to become a billionaire.

Key Background

Bronny had a promising high school basketball career before playing at USC, becoming a 4-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School. The 19-year-old, who stands at 6’2” and plays guard, had a 36.6% field goal percentage on an average of 19.4 minutes played per game while at USC, less than half the 40-minute length of college basketball games. His collegiate season came after a serious health scare, as he collapsed during a practice at USC in July 2023 due to cardiac arrest. He was cleared for full practice in December and made his USC debut shortly thereafter, several games into the program’s season. James landed large NIL deals while playing college basketball including a Nike partnership, an endorsement from Beats by Dre and a deal with PSD underwear. His endorsements were estimated to earn him nearly $5 million. James’ move to the Lakers was largely expected, though James told reporters at this year’s combine that his dream is to make a name for himself in the NBA, electing to not name drop any particular teams when talking about his aspirations in the league.

Further Reading

March Madness: Here Are The Biggest NIL Deals In College Basketball (Forbes)

NBA free agency 2024: LeBron James stands alone atop list of power forwards (The Athletic)