Bronny James has made the choice to stay in the NBA Draft, not retracting his name by the final designated decision day on Wednesday.
Notably carrying the fame of his father, LeBron James, Bronny’s performance at USC as a freshman — with an average of 4.8 points — seems secondary. It’s worth mentioning that he did have a concerning health issue affecting his heart just before the season kicked off. However, he showed promising skill during the NBA Combine exercises.
ESPN currently ranks him as the 54th overall prospect for the incoming draft.
Bronny’s representative, Rich Paul, conveyed to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that James is exclusively interested in a standard rookie contract and will not contemplate a two-way contract.
“There’s quite a range of possibilities for Bronny’s (draft) position,” Paul expressed to ESPN. “He is a prospect with substantial potential to develop. It really takes just one franchise. It doesn’t matter if they are picking first or 58th—what’s important is the blueprint for his development, the chances that will present themselves, the strategic planning of the franchise, and their financial engagement. That’s the reason we won’t entertain a two-way deal. Every franchise is aware of this.”
ESPN’s draft specialist Jonathan Givony reported on Bronny’s compelling performance at the combine, which likely bolstered his draft prospects.
“At 19 years of age, James was one of the combine’s standout athletes in Chicago this month, coming in second out of 71 participants in two separate 3-point shooting exercises,” Givony detailed. “James also scored 13 points in one of the scrimmage games at the combine.”
