Bronny James Getting Shocking Amount of Love from Bettors in NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James is the biggest liability at sportsbooks in the Rookie of the Year market.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James Jr. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James was far from the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he's getting the most action at sportsbooks to win the Rookie of the Year award in the 2024-25 season.

From one oddsmaker on NBA Rookie of the Year market:

"Bronny James is 10x the closest player in terms of liability, and the biggest bet I remember seeing is $100 on him. He has three times the number of bets Zach Edey does."

— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) July 6, 2024

There's no doubt that James is one of the most recognizable rookies, but he;s not expected to contend for the Rookie of the Year award based on his opening odds.

In his NBA summer league debut, James had four points on 2-for-9 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 22 minutes. He sat out the Lakers' second summer league matchup for precautionary reasons due to some swelling in his knee.

Bronny James NBA Rookie of the Year Odds for 2024-25 Season

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Right now, James has the worst odds to win the Rookie of the Year award at +30000, which makes sense for a late second-round pick.

Even though the Lakers gave James an NBA deal and not a two-way contract (four years, $7.9 million), it's hard to see him spending the whole season at the NBA level.

James may be better off getting some action in the G League to help him develop after just one season at USC. Even though his freshman season wasn't impressive, the Lakers guard did miss the start of the year -- and the offseason -- after dealing with a heart issue. The fact that he was able to play at all is extremely impressive.

It may be fun to place a small bet on James at these odds, but realistically, it's not something that's going to hit -- even though a ton of people are piling on. Oddsmakers don't seem concerned, as they haven't moved James' odds at FanDuel since setting them after the 2024 NBA Draft.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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