Bronny James has been told he could earn money and play basketball against ‘grown men’ if he decides to play in Australia’s National Basketball League rather than going to college.
Bronny is in his senior season of high school basketball at Sierra Canyon, and he has been widely expected to go to college before entering the NBA. His father, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, is a vocal supporter of Bronny and has publicly declared he wants to extend his career in order to play with the 18-year-old in the league.
If he goes to college, Bronny has reportedly narrowed down his decision to three schools: Ohio State, USC and Oregon. However, LaVar Ball - the father of Chicago Bull guard Lonzo and Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo - believes Bronny should forget about his education and go to Australia to play in the NBL.
Ahead of being selected third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball decided to spend a year in the NBL where he starred and was named NBL Rookie of the Year. LaVar believes Bronny should follow in his son’s footsteps.
“You playing against grown men and you getting paid,” the 55-year-old said. “If you want to play basketball and you really that dude, why am I sitting in class trying to pass a chemistry test? I don’t wanna play no chemistry. I don’t wanna practice no Spanish. No! I wanna wake up, go practice, go back to sleep, go practice, have a game, practice. That’s all I wanna do. I don’t wanna be like, ‘Hey, I’ll meet you in the student union for study hall.'”
The NBL has reportedly already reached out to him about the prospect of playing in Australia would give him the advantage of making money while experiencing a slightly different basketball culture. Bronny is projected to be a first round pick when he does enter the NBA Draft, and he could hone his craft down under.
In accordance with NBA rules, players must wait until one year after their class graduates high school before they are eligible to be drafted, which means Bronny won’t be able to enter the league until the 2024/25 season. He has received several offers from prominent basketball programmes, and he recently starred in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday.
Bronny hit five three-pointers to score 15 points in the game, proving himself as a reliable shooter with deep shots coming both off the dribble and as a spot up. He is also considered a high-level defensive player for his age, so he is developing into a fine prospect.
If Bronny is selected in the first round, it would be an incredible achievement although it could hinder LeBron’s hopes of playing with his son. The 38-year-old has made it clear he wants to play with the guard in the NBA, but ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst suggested the idea becomes increasingly difficult as Bronny improves.
“It's a paradox - the better Bronny gets, the harder it will be for him to play with LeBron,” Windhorst said. “If he does become a mid first-round pick, it will be more difficult. Any team can acquire a second-round pick to get Bronny, and the player could even convince teams to not draft him, and sign with the Lakers. LeBron has set up his contract so that he becomes available the same time Bronny enters the draft (2024), so he could technically just go wherever Bronny goes, but that will be tough on the Lakers.”
James could - and likely will - opt out of the last year of his current deal with the Lakers to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. This would allow the four-time NBA champion to sign with any franchise, which appears to ultimately be the team that drafts Bronny next year.
