“That Nike money is right there for him" - NBA analyst emphasizes LeBron James & Savannah James' impact on Bronny James' NBA future
Bronny James declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft brings LA Lakers star LeBron James' dream of playing with his son on a professional team one step closer to reality. However, there are still plenty of uncertainties regarding his future in basketball and one analyst broke it down on 'Undisputed.'
Bronny didn't just enter the pool of players for the upcoming NBA Draft; he also entered the NCAA transfer portal. This means he could remain in college but play for another team aside from the USC Trojans.
There are several paths presented for Bronny, and Rachel Nichols thinks that his parents could factor into that decision.
"It depends in part on what LeBron James, Bronny James and Savannah James want," Nichols said on Undisputed.
"Because if they want him to play in the NBA and LeBron wants him to play a year with him, and Bronny wants that," Nichols added. "And by the way, that's okay if that's what they want because that would be very special and that would mean more than a lot of the other accomplishments that either of these guys would do in basketball."
Nichols then explored the most likely scenario for Bronny this year, which is the LA Lakers drafting him. She also talked about what scouts have to say about him and his draft stock before talking about the possibility of him remaining in college.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see him at Duquesne, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at Oregon," Nichols continued. "That Nike money is right there for him. I think that he would like to get out there and play more college ball and that would be best for him."
The NBA has yet to see a father-son duo play in the NBA at the same time, much less on the same team. LeBron James and Bronny could become the first to do that. However, Bronny's draft stock complicates things.
With him being projected to be a late second-round pick or even to become an undrafted free agent, fans might have to wait a while longer before seeing a pairing of this kind.
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How did LeBron James react when Bronny James shared his decision to enter the Draft?
Bronny James announced his decision to enter the NBA Draft and enter the transfer portal through an Instagram post.
LeBron James did not react to the post directly, but he did take the time to share it through a now-expired Instagram story. LeBron summed up how he felt by adding several emojis starting with a prince, five hearts and then concluding with the prayer hands emoji.
Despite how vocal he is regarding his desire to play with his son in the NBA, LeBron James doesn't want to get in the way of his son's decision-making.
He has said several times before that ultimately, the decision rests on Bronny's hands on how he wants to handle his future. As a father, LeBron is simply there to support him on whatever path he takes.