Bronny James has declared for the 2024 NBA draft.
Yahoo Sports reports:
“The eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James announced Friday [April 5, 2024] his intentions to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while also maintaining his college eligibility and entering the NCAA transfer portal after a single season with the Trojans.”
Rapidly Unfolding Events at USC
The USC men’s basketball program has been involved in a whirlwind of activity in the first week of April 2024, and amidst the frenzy, rumors swirled that James had entered the transfer portal.
In the first week of April, USC’s head coach of eleven seasons, Andy Enfield, packed his bags and headed off to SMU in Dallas, TX. Immediately thereafter, rumors began circulating that USC was courting Eric Musselman, and, within less than 72 hours of Enfield’s departure, USC formally announced the hiring of Musselman.
Up until the early morning hours of April 5, 2024, the possibility of Bronny James staying at USC was still contemplated. In this regard, Trojan Wire reported:
“Andy Enfield leaving for SMU does something important and simple: It enables Bronny to stay at USC and yet get exposure to a different coach and a different playing style. That door is open to Bronny now. It wasn’t open a week ago. It’s a choice which could contain real value. He can stay in Los Angeles yet get a newer, arguably better, college coach. If LeBron is willing to wait one year, Bronny could wait, too. Everyone could benefit.”
Bronny James’ Unusual and Brief Time at USC
James came to USC with much fanfare. However, during his lone season as a Trojan, the team’s performance was disappointing, and James had limited playing time after going through a scary cardiac event.
CBS Sports reported:
“Coming out of high school, James was ranked as the No. 28 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle by 247Sports. He committed to the Trojans over Oregon and Ohio State. He appeared in 25 games this season after missing the first eight games of his college career due to a scary health incident that saw him go into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.”
Busting Brackets observed:
It’s a lot of pressure to carry the name Lebron James Jr. onto a basketball court and LBJ Sr. made sure to heap an extra helping upon his oldest son’s shoulders by proclaiming that he wants to play with him in the NBA. Well, reality set in for Bronny in his first year at USC, and now it’s time for a tough decision.
In 25 games with just six starts, the 6-foot-4 freshman guard averaged 4.8 points in under 20 minutes a game while shooting 36.6% from the field.
Will Bronny and Lebron James Play Together in the NBA?
Lebron James has gone on the record about his desire to play in the NBA with his son.
In this connection, CBS Sports noted:
“Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents both LeBron and Bronny, said earlier this month that he doesn’t ‘value a young player getting into the lottery as much as … getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation.'”
We will now wait to see whether LeBron’s dream of playing in the League with his son comes to fruition sooner rather than later.
For continuing reporting on Bronny James, USC basketball, and future developments, stay tuned to Hardwood Heroics.
For more related sports news, focused primarily on the Sacramento Kings, USC Trojans, SMU Mustangs, and Los Angeles Rams, please follow me at @vshjah_Victor.