LeBron James’ oft-spoken desire to share an NBA court with his son took a major step toward reality Thursday when the Lakers drafted Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the draft.
Assuming no issues with either player, LeBron and Bronny James will become the first ever father-son duo to team up in an NBA game.
The Lakers were widely anticipated to select Bronny, 19, who only worked out with the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns ahead of the draft and had expressed his desire to team up with his superstar father in Los Angeles.
The younger James’ lone season at USC was limited to 490 minutes over 25 games with six starts. He missed the first eight games of the season while recovering from a medical procedure to treat a congenital heart defect.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound guard averaged 4.8 points per game.
Ahead of Thursday’s second round of the draft, Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports wrote, “(Bronny) James is far from a finished product, but proved he belonged in this draft class as a prospect at the draft combine, where he shot the ball well and showed more scoring potential in the lane with his floater.”
The Clippers, meanwhile, had Thursday’s 16th second-round choice, the 46th overall pick, acquired in a 2023 trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. They traded their natural pick, the 55th overall, to the Lakers as part of a four-team trade in 2023.
With their pick, the Clippers selected Cameron Christie, a 6-foot-5 guard from the University of Minnesota.
The Clippers dealt their first-round pick in the 2019 trade in which they acquired Paul George.
The second round was conducted at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York City.
This is the first time the draft was held over two days.
“Based on feedback about the NBA draft format from basketball executives around the league and my own experience in draft rooms, we believe that teams will benefit from being able to regroup between rounds and having additional time to make decisions during the second round,” Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations said in a statement.
“Two nights of prime-time coverage will also enhance the viewing experience for our fans and further showcase the draftees.”
The Lakers chose Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht with the 17th choice in Wednesday’s first round, conducted at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.