Bronny James has been selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
19-year-old Bronny—birth name LeBron James Jr.—will play alongside his father LeBron next season, making them the first father-son duo in NBA history to play simultaneously, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Los Angeles Lakers are selecting Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, sources say. LeBron and Bronny James to become the first ever father-son duo to be in the NBA at the same time. pic.twitter.com/CyewBHNswz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024
The moment Bronny James heard his name called by the Lakers.
pic.twitter.com/TSKMTQmJgJ— Complex (@Complex) June 27, 2024
The NBA confirmed the stat in a tweet, and L.A. welcomed him to the team on Instagram:
LeBron James and Bronny James become the first father and son duo to be in the NBA at the same time.
Now they are teammates on the Lakers! pic.twitter.com/dITQ4WQ9RA
— NBA (@NBA) June 27, 2024
Bronny's selection comes after ESPN NBA analyst and former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers reported earlier in the broadcast that Bronny's (and LeBron's) agent Rich Paul was telling other teams that “if you take him, he's going to Australia.”
"Rich Paul is calling teams, don't take Bronny James … if you take him, he's going to Australia." 😳
Bob Myers on Bronny James' draft status 👀 pic.twitter.com/p6mWNMAjma
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2024
In a January 2023 piece from ESPN's Dave McMenamin, LeBron made his desire to play alongside his eldest son quite clear.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” LBJ said at the time.
Even though James wanted to share the court with Bronny, he understood that his son had to feel the same.
“I've done what I've had to do in this league, and my son is going to take his journey,” LeBron said, per ESPN. “And whatever his journey, however his journey lays out, he's going to do what's best for him. And as his dad, and his mom, Savannah, and his brother and sister, we're going to support him in whatever he decides to do. So, just because that's my aspiration or my goal, doesn't mean it's his. And I'm absolutely OK with that.”
Since then, LeBron's stance on playing alongside Bronny seemed to soften.
Back in April, the Lakers star was “very open” to the idea of drafting Bronny, as reported by The Athletic. There was a strong indication that the former USC guard could head to Los Angeles after Paul confirmed last month that his client's private workouts were limited to the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
James shared a message on Instagram Wednesday in which he reflected on the journey of raising his sons, Bronny and Bryce.
Bronny played 25 games at USC after suffering a cardiac arrest during a team workout in July.
On his own Instagram after the news, Bronny simply wrote, “Beyond blessed.”
Catch Bronny on the latest episode of Sneaker Shopping below.
This article was originally published on Complex.com.
