Bronny James has officially joined forces with his dad, LeBron James.
On Thursday, the Lakers selected the 19-year-old in the second round with the No. 55 pick.
It wasn’t exactly serendipity that helped the younger James fall into Los Angeles’ lap in the second round, as ESPN’s Bob Myers reported that Rich Paul, the agent for both Jameses, told teams if they draft Bronny, he would instead play in Australia.
The 6-foot-1 guard played in 25 games during his lone season at USC, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest across only 25 games, six of which he started.
After being sidelined for the Trojans’ first eight games, James made his NCAA debut Dec. 10 following a cardiac arrest during a July 25 team practice.
The freshman’s career-high scoring output was 15 points against Oregon State on Dec. 30, and he scored 10 or more points just three times.
Despite an underwhelming (and extremely brief) college career, James had a strong showing during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, particularly showcasing a good shooting stroke from deep.
Because of his limited appearances in Los Angeles and poor overall numbers, experts questioned whether or not James would remain in the draft — let alone how high he would be selected.
However, the NBA progeny decided to stick with the pro process on May 13 after receiving medical clearance during a review by the league’s Fitness to Play panel.
For most of the last few years, league-wide expectation was that James and his dad would team up, with LeBron possibly even requesting a trade away from the Lakers in order to join his son.
“My last year will be with my son. Wherever Bronny’s at, that’s where I’ll be,” LeBron said in February 2022.
Yet the 39-year-old seemingly reversed course this May, with his agent Rich Paul telling ESPN, “LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny. If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t.”
Coming out of high school, Bronny was ranked as a four-star prospect and the 28th overall player in the Class of 2023, according to 247 Sports.
The Sierra Canyon alum held offers from USC, Ohio State and Memphis.
Bronny’s best opportunity to make an impact early will likely come off the bench as a distributor who can provide a spurt of energy.