USC Basketball: Bronny, LeBron James Being Recruited to East Franchise by Rap Star

Would they help this club reach its championship goals?

Jan 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) is greeted by father LeBron James during the game against the Washington State Cougars at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It's rare that a one-and-done USC Trojans backup would be the subject of a major NBA recruiting bid, but then again, only one one-and-done USC Trojans backup has ever been the son of one of the greatest players in league history, while that player is still active and producing at an All-NBA level.

Such is the case with 6-foot-4 combo guard Bronny James, who after being brought on by Andy Enfield as a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth struggled to recover from a preseason cardiac arrest. He averaged a scant 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals across his 25 healthy contests.

But because his father is 20-time All-Star Los Angeles Lakers combo forward LeBron James, who has specifically stated in the past that he'd be interested in playing alongside his son (though he's tried to distance himself from those quotes more recently), Bronny James is the subject of extended intrigue in the lead up to this week's 2024 NBA Draft, which tips off tomorrow and continues through Thursday.

Chicago rapper Lil Durk has gotten in on the recruiting fun now. He shared in a recent Instagram Story that he recently DM'd LeBron that he and Bronny should play for his hometown Chicago Bulls, as shared by ESPN's SportsCenter on X:

Lil Durk offered to pay half of LeBron's salary to play for the Bulls 👀 pic.twitter.com/BeS19JkGei

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 25, 2024

Durk even offered to foot the bill for the two players' combined salary, which would number in the tens of millions of dollars. The Bulls have missed the playoffs across the past two seasons, and lack much of an asset base with which to build a championship-level squad, even with LeBron James, who'll turn 40 in December and is no longer the two-way superstar he was in his prime, though he's still a powerful offensive force who can occasionally bring it defensively in the playoffs.

This all may be a moot point if LeBron James decides to just pick up his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25 and not become a free agent this summer. Time will tell if he does.

Chicago controls the No. 11 pick in the draft, which would be a bit high to take Bronny James, even on a flier.

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