WATCH: $3.7M NIL-valued Bronny James leaves his mark on first scrimmage during 2024 NBA Draft Combine with impressive floaters
Bronny James announced his decision to enter the 2024 NBA Draft last month, however, he also maintained his college eligibility and entered the transfer portal. The former USC Trojans guard was one of 78 players who received an invite to the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, which began on May 12th and will continue through May 19th.
The son of future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, LeBron James has reportedly turned heads during the first few days of the combine. Tuesday was no different for Bronny, who has a name, image and likeness valuation of $3.7 million, according to On3 Sports. He showed off a strong floater game and continued to impress scouts during his first scrimmage. The Dunk Central shared the footage, captioning the post:
"Bronny James in his first scrimmage 👀 (🎥 @Frankie_Vision )"
Check out footage of Bronny James' first scrimmage below:
Bronny is reportedly expected to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft despite maintaining his collegiate eligibility. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the news after the former USC Trojans guard was medically cleared to play in the NBA, tweeting:
"Sources: Bronny James is expected to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft. The USC freshman has been fully cleared to play in the league as part of Fitness to Play panel and will participate in all pre-draft activities starting with the Draft Combine this week."
Check out Shams Charania's tweet below:
Bronny notably suffered cardiac arrest during an offseason practice last July, which is likely something teams are monitoring. He did not make his college debut until December 10th, missing USC's first eight games of the season. The freshman guard appeared in 25 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting just 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from three-point range and 67.6% from the free-throw line.
Playing with Bronny James may no longer top LeBron James' list of priorities
LeBron James has not been shy about his desire to play with his son Bronny James. However, pairing with his son may no longer sit atop his list of priorities entering the offseason, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Speaking on Get Up, the NBA insider stated:
"Over the last few months, Rich Paul, who's the agent for LeBron and Bronny James has made an effort to part the concept that drafting Bronny James means you're getting LeBron. I do believe LeBron is going to opt out of his contract next month and I do believe he's got several reasons he wants to do that and leaving optionality for playing with Bronny is on the list, but I don't think it's at the top. I do think he's going to be back with the Lakers."
Check out Brian Windhorst's comments below:
Windhorst added that teams do not believe drafting his son will land them LeBron. The elder James continued to play at a high level in 2023-24, his 21st season in the league. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 54.0% from the field, 41.0% from three-point range and 75.0% from the free-throw line.