NEW YORK (AP) — Bronny James’ draft night has likely arrived.
The son of career-leading scorer LeBron James was not selected in the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday and will now have to wait and see if he is selected in the second round when the selection process resumes on Thursday afternoon.
The pick that might make the most sense for Bronny James: No. 55 overall, a selection that happens to be held by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that LeBron James — who is widely expected to become a free agent next week — has played for since 2018.
The James family was in New York this week, although it is unknown whether Bronny James will appear in the second round of the draft.
Bronny James played one year of college basketball at Southern California, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season. He played in 25 games and missed the start of the season after requiring surgery last year to correct a congenital heart defect that was discovered after he went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.
A panel of doctors cleared Bronny James for the NBA last month.
Bronny James — who was listed at 6’4″ on USC’s roster but measured 6’5″ at the combine — may be the most talked-about second-round prospect in draft history because of his family name. His father, a four-time NBA champion, will enter his 22nd NBA season this fall.
If Bronny James plays in the NBA next season, he and LeBron James would be the first father-son duo to play in the league at the same time as players. There have been about 100 cases in NBA history where players joined the league after their fathers played, but never at the same time.
