Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, is a hot topic in basketball these days. He has made himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft, even though he wasn’t exactly impressive this past season for a struggling University of Southern California Trojans team.
He struggled mightily with his shooting and averaged just 4.8 points a game. His playing time was limited even though the Trojans went 15-18 and needed players to step up.
But the younger James has done relatively well so far in the NBA draft combine in Chicago. While there, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said teams are interested in drafting him, maybe not so much for his potential but for the financial windfall he could bring.
Teams are intrigued by Bronny James because of the financial impact he will have on their G League level at the beginning of his career, per @wojespn:
“He will pack G League arenas, merchandising. All of those make him an attractive player.”
Bronny could go late first-round. pic.twitter.com/4gHrAXDQTV
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 14, 2024
“If Bronny James is going to have an impact for organizations, not just on the basketball side but potentially on the business side, he’s almost assuredly going to start in the G League,” Wojnarowski said. “He will pack G League arenas (with) merchandising. All of those make him an attractive player, whether it’s late first-round or second-round. Certainly his opportunity to play in the NBA is there.”
Last year, a report by Forbes said the team that drafts the 19-year-old will see its market valuation “skyrocket” and possibly double “practically overnight.”
Of course, another reason teams may want to draft the younger James is to entice his father to play alongside him, something he has said he wants to do. However, the elder James is widely expected to stay with the Lakers, even if he opts out of his current contract this summer.
