LeBron James has been outspoken about his wishes to play alongside his son, USC freshman Bronny James, in the NBA before retiring from professional basketball. Whether the duo will link up next season is uncertain, particularly given the younger James’ status as a role player primarily coming off the bench for the Trojans. Still, it may not be entirely surprising to see James test the draft waters this offseason and depart from college basketball as a one-and-done prospect, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein says.
“I think it’s very possible and probably likely that he still declares for the draft after the year,” Finkelstein said on College Basketball Recruiting Weekly. “And if you have followed LeBron James over the years, you should know that this is a man who dictates more front office moves than maybe any player in NBA history. He’s been setting this up for two years. I think it’s very possible Bronny James is in the NBA next year, but as I said last year, that won’t be based solely on his own merit as a prospect but on what comes with being LeBron James’ son.”
The latest buzz about James’ professional future comes days after his father discussed his draft process at NBA All-Star Weekend. The Los Angeles Lakers star said that “it’s up to the kid” whether he forgoes the remainder of his college eligibility.
James’ appeal to prospective NBA franchises undoubtedly centers around the potential of landing a package deal that includes his father, rather than his upside as an instant-impact contributor. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, James averages a modest 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists for USC on 36.5% field goal shooting. He has just three double-digit scoring efforts on the year.
“This is a guy who’s coming off the bench for USC, playing behind Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier,” Finkelstein said. “And this is a USC team that is struggling in the Pac-12. So I just don’t know that I would cosign [his NBA readiness]. Far for me to disagree with LeBron James, but as I’ve said many times before, I’ve yet to meet a dad who is completely unbiased, even if they claim to be. And Bronny just doesn’t look like a one-and-done.”
James long projected as a prospect that may need more than one year of development at the college level before being ready to jump into the professional sphere. He was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class and ranked as the No. 28 player nationally, but a key knock against his game coming out of Los Angeles (Calif.) Sierra Canyon was his lack of half-court shot creation.
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“When you judge Bronny simply on his own merit and not based on all that goes with being LeBron James’ son, his NBA upside is much less clear,” Finkelstein said. “He would not be in the one-and-done conversation right now if his name were not Bronny James.”
