With the NBA expected to push the NBA draft age minimum back to 18 as soon as the 2024 draft in the next CBA, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, it will allow high school kids to jump straight to the NBA once again.
While this decision will have a bigger impact on players who aren’t currently in the NBA, one veteran player who will have personal interest in this rule is LeBron James.
James already told Sports Illustrated that he wants to play with both of his sons, Bronny and Bryce, in the NBA. This potential rule change could make that idea happen one year sooner.
Bronny is currently a senior in high school and expected to attend college next year, so the rule isn’t likely to apply to him as he will not be eligible for the NBA draft until 2024 regardless. However, if Bryce James is a good enough basketball player to even consider making that jump, he could be eligible for the 2025 NBA draft straight out of high school if the eligibility age is lowered to 18.
That said, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that it could be several years before the lower draft-eligibility age is implemented, in part because future draft picks already have been traded with the current 19-and-over draft framework in mind.
Even though lowering the draft age would appear to help James, the Lakers star said he isn’t worried about losing effectiveness before his sons enter the league.
“I feel like I could play for quite a while. So it’s all up to the body, but more importantly, my mind,” James said. “If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even the limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”
