Bronny James achieved a lifelong goal on Thursday, having his name called in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny with the 55th pick and the 19-year-old got quite emotional when the selection was announced.
Bronny's reaction to getting drafted ❤️
(via roccovalenti_/IG) pic.twitter.com/efZoUMZXJ2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 27, 2024
While some prospects chose to attend the draft, Bronny was at a dinner party in New York with his parents LeBron and Savannah James. His siblings Bryce and Zhuri James were present as well and the former shared a video in which he was heard congratulating his older brother.
The moment Bronny James was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers 🙌
🎥 _justbryce/IG pic.twitter.com/lnaTFSWabB
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 27, 2024
With everything that has happened over the last year or so, I would have been very surprised if Bronny wasn’t so emotional. For a while, it had seemed as if his dreams of being a professional basketball player had been crushed, after he suffered a cardiac arrest on July 24, 2023.
Both LeBron and Savannah were reportedly fine with Bronny never playing basketball again but the teenager was determined to live out his dream. Just over four months after that incident, he stepped on the court to make his debut for USC on Dec. 10.
Understandably, though, Bronny’s freshman season at USC didn’t end up being all that impressive. He only averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game, but being LeBron’s son meant there was still a fair bit of interest in him when he announced he’d be entering the draft.
In the lead-up to the draft, there was a lot of speculation on which team would draft Bronny, but on Thursday, it became clear where he was going to end up. Reportedly, Bronny’s agent Rich Paul warned NBA teams to not draft him as he would then go to Australia. It appeared he only wanted to go to the Lakers and that was how things panned out.
Bronny James Sent A Message On Instagram After Being Drafted
Bronny was almost speechless in those videos that were shared from the dinner party but he did send out a message later on Instagram.
“Beyond blessed.”
He is blessed indeed. As for the team, here is what Lakers GM Rob Pelinka had to say after drafting Bronny.
“Bronny is first and foremost a person of high character and second he is a young man that works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players. He did a great draft workout with us where he displayed those qualities to me in an hour lunch we shared in the building. Once we got to know each other it became clear he’s a man of character and in terms of his work ethic, I think we’ve all seen that worked out too. He’s not a person who is taking shortcuts or is entitled to basketball opportunities. He’s worked for everything he’s gotten, including being selected today. So, it’s an honor for us to add him to our program.”
Bronny does appear to be an individual of high character. He has a great basketball IQ and a high motor as well, qualities that you certainly like to see. I don’t expect him to play an awful lot in this rookie season, though.
From what Bronny has shown thus far, he is going to need some time to develop and it will be interesting to see what plan the Lakers have in place for him. If they get it right, he could end up having a long and successful career.
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