Lakers News: Teams Considered Drafting Bronny James Ahead of No. 55 Pick

Matt Levine | Jul 14, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers' decision to select guard Bronny James out of USC with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has caused all sorts of conversation. Despite a poor year with the Trojans, James elected to enter the NBA to pursue his dream.

Bronny, the son of Lakers star LeBron James, has been criticized for nepotism, with critics saying he didn't deserve to be drafted. But in reality, James showed that he was deserving with a strong showing at his Pro-Day.

An NBA executive spoke with Heavy Sports and discussed Bronny. They mentioned that other teams were interested in taking the guard before the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 pick.

“I do know there were teams that talked about taking him earlier, but there’s a whole lot of attention that comes with having LeBron’s son on your team, and, if you’re not the Lakers, do you really want to deal with that for a second round pick?” the source said. “Is it going to be worth it? And that’s not even taking into account the stuff about him not being willing to go to any team but (the Lakers).”

Reports came out that Bronny's agent, Rich Paul, started calling teams to tell them not to draft his client. This began speculation that he was heading to the Lakers when they were up in the second round.

With other teams wanting Bronny, it shows that he does belong in the NBA. Los Angeles worked him out and liked what they saw, leading to the decision to draft him.

“I mean, I don’t think that one year he had is an indication of who he was or what he is or certainly not what he can be. The Lakers probably saw him working out and hanging around the team. They saw something good in him, so why not take him? A lot of people saw good things in him, but I think they were scared off.

Nobody knows what the future holds for Bronny but if given a chance, he could become an impactful NBA player. He will spend most of his time in the NBA G-League so all the narratives around him are likely for nothing.

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