USC freshman guard Bronny James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, will enter the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility and will also enter the NCAA transfer portal, he announced Friday on Instagram.
James was sidelined for five months after suffering cardiac arrest in July due to a congenital heart defect. The health scare impacted his productivity at USC after earning McDonald’s All-American honors in high school.
In 25 games (six starts), James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 19.3 minutes per game while shooting 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from 3-point range, and 67.6% at the foul line.
“At the end of the day, Bronny’s his own man,” LeBron said this week about the 19-year-old. “He has some tough decisions to make, and when he’s ready to make those decisions, he’ll let us all know. But as his family, we’re going to support whatever he does.”
Furthermore, in USC’s 86-70 loss to Oregon State on Dec. 30, the 6-foot-4 guard recorded a season-high 15 points, one rebound, three assists, and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench.
James committed to USC in May 2023 after receiving other offers from Memphis and Ohio State. James was interested in Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Oregon. Though, he did not receive offers from the five aforementioned schools.
Bronny James must be approved by NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can be selected in the 2024 NBA Draft
USC coach Andy Enfield recently left for SMU, and the Trojans hired Arkansas’ Eric Musselman on Thursday.
The pre-draft plan will be for James to meet with targeted teams for workouts and interviews. If the California native decides to return to USC, he has until Sunday, June 16 by 5 p.m. ET to withdraw his name from the NBA draft.
LeBron has been vocal about playing with Bronny in the NBA. In his 21st season, Bron became the first player in league history to reach 40,000 career points and joined Michael Jordan as the only players to post multiple 40-point games at age 39 or older.
Key NBA dates are outlined below.
- Saturday, April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Sunday, May 12: NBA Draft Lottery 2024 presented by State Farm
- Monday, May 13 through Sunday, May 19: NBA Combine (Chicago, IL)
- Sunday, June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
- Wednesday, June 26: 2024 NBA Draft presented by State Farm (First Round)
- Thursday, June 27: 2024 NBA Draft presented by State Farm (Second Round)
