The 2024 NBA Draft will keep arguably its biggest name in the player pool despite a major medical concern. After suffering a surprise cardiac arrest before the 2023-2024 season, USC guard LeBron James Jr. — commonly known as “Bronny” James — has been cleared to enter the draft and play in the NBA.
James spent the 2023-2024 NCAA men’s basketball season with the USC Trojans, a stone’s throw from his father’s office within the Los Angeles Lakers facility. As one of the top recruits of the 2023 freshman class, James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game through 25 appearances.
With his medical history now seemingly in the past, James is currently projected to be a second-round pick.
2024 NBA Draft: Bronny James’ Health Scare at USC
ESPN Sources with @Draftexpress: In the aftermath of his cardiac arrest and a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect nine months ago, the NBA’s Fitness to Play panel has medically cleared USC’s Bronny James to be drafted and play in the league. Story soon. pic.twitter.com/P8ci337NrA
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 13, 2024
Despite underwhelming in his lone season with the USC Trojans in 2023-2024, Bronny James has decided to enter the 2024 NBA Draft and will go through with the process, thus forgoing his remaining collegiate eligibility to become a professional.
Aside from his disheartening numbers at USC, the primary concern with James has been the health and durability of his heart. During preseason training at USC, James went into cardiac arrest, a condition that was later determined to be the cause of a treatable heart defect.
Minor buzz surrounding James and the USC team expressed concern for the athletic future of the basketball prodigy but the athletic guard was cleared to resume play in November 2023. James’ USC debut was delayed as a result of the heart surgery required to treat his condition but the phenom made his highly-anticipated college basketball premiere against Long Beach State on Dec. 10, 2023.
Now, nine months after the surgery, James was cleared to play in the NBA by the league’s Fitness to Play panel, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Where is Bronny James Projected to be Drafted?
Once the stage is set for the 2024 NBA Draft in June, Bronny James will be one of the most interesting prospects to watch during the latter half of the event. Though second-round picks are not often heralded, James — who is expected to hear his name called on day two — will garner a lot of attention late in the draft process.
Despite being a projected lottery pick earlier in the calendar year, most accredited sources project James to be either a late second-round pick or go undrafted. James was invited to the 2024 NBA Draft Combine but was not included in the latest ESPN 2024 NBA mock draft released on May 12.
Per DraftKings, James is projected to be selected by the Lakers, who are favored to draft the son of the 2020 NBA Finals MVP at +180. The Thunder, 76ers and Cavaliers are all tied as a distant second on the site at +1000.
LeBron James, who is currently an unrestricted free agent following the 2023-2024 NBA season, has openly expressed a desire to play with his son in the NBA. The league’s all-time leading scorer has also been transparent with his waning athletic career, with NBA reporter Shams Charania claiming he has heard that ‘The King’ expects to play for only a couple more years.
About the Author
Jaren Kawada is a freelance sports writer from Indianapolis, Indiana with a strong passion for MMA and sports betting. Kawada has also written for Sportskeeda MMA, FanSided MMA, and BetSided as a combat sports analyst.
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