Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reportedly did not push the team to draft his son, Bronny James, in the 2024 NBA Draft.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shared the news on ESPN Los Angeles radio.
This report by Shelburne comes in the aftermath of ESPN’s Baxter Holmes hit piece on the Lakers and governor Jeanie Buss. In that piece, Holmes noted how Buss reportedly didn’t think James was “grateful” for the Lakers drafting Bronny with the No. 55 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“And when the Lakers drafted James’ son Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, Jeanie privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn’t, people close to the team told ESPN.”
Was LeBron Ever Truly Pushing to Play With Bronny in Los Angeles?
The James men became the first father-son duo to ever play in the NBA at the same time. Before Bronny became a Laker, former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers said that LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, was telling other teams not to draft Bronny or that he would go to Australia.
“Rich Paul is calling teams, don’t take Bronny James … if you take him, he’s going to Australia,” Myers said.
While Myers may have his sources, Paul made it clear ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft that LeBron was not hellbent on playing alongside his son.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told ESPN. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn’t re-sign.”
Bronny is currently in his second season in the league, receiving very little to no playing time on a night-in in night-out basis. As for LeBron, he is in his 23rd season in the league and his eighth in L.A.
Newsweek