Lakers West Rival Almost Drafted Bronny James But Passed Out of Respect For LeBron

Bronny could have landed on a Pacific Division nemesis this year.

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) with son Bronny James (9) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors are no strangers to making strategic draft decisions. Over the years, they have successfully built championship-caliber teams through the draft, including selecting franchise pillars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. During the 2024 NBA Draft the Warriors did have legitimate interest in selecting former USC Trojans point guard Bronny James.

The franchise that has rivaled LeBron James for years during their legendary battles in the NBA Finals, chose to forgo drafting Bronny in order to allow the four-time MVP to realize his dream of playing alongside his son. James has been vocal about the opportunity to play with Bronny for a number of years now and that dream became a reality ahead of this season.

According to ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, the Warriors were intrigued by Bronny and had the former University of Southern California point guard on their big board. And Golden State was selecting three spots before L.A. in the second round, at No. 52 to L.A.'s No. 55. Before James signed his two-year extension to remain a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, there were rumblings that the Warriors were interested in signing the NBA's all-time leading scorer. If the Warriors decided to draft Bronny, James may have elected to play in Golden State for his final NBA seasons.

“The Warriors liked Bronny's skill set and had him on their draft board, sources said. Selecting him ahead of the Lakers, who held the 55th pick, would've been a shrewd move -- perhaps even to entice James to sign there as a free agent. But ultimately, sources said, the Warriors opted to respect the wishes James had made clear and the Lakers signaled they would grant,” Shelbourne wrote.

The Lakers have began their preseason training camp and James talked to Los Angeles reporters about the joy he felt playing with his son.

"There's a lot of excitement for me, pure joy, to be honest, to come into work every day and see him there, see him continue to grow," LeBron said Monday during the Lakers' media day presser, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press (via ABC). "He's been in this realm of the game of basketball since he was born obviously. I've been playing in the NBA longer than he's been alive so he understands the nuances of it as far as just being around the game."

Despite what hesitations media correspondents had about the Lakers deciding to draft Bronny, it has been really amazing to see NBA history take place in Los Angeles.

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