- Bronny James, 19, has been drafted by the LA Lakers in the NBA Draft
- He could eventually play alongside his superstar father LeBron James
- James’ agent, Rich Paul, wanted father and son to be together on the Lakers
- Paul reportedly warned rival NBA franchises not to pursue Bronny James
- If they did, Paul was willing to take his client to the NBL in Australia.
The son of NBA superstar LeBron James joined his father on the LA Lakers’ roster after bizarrely threatening to play in Australia if he was drafted by another franchise.
Bronny James, 19, was selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft as the 55th overall pick.
It comes after the young player, who has played college basketball for the USC Trojans for the past two years, desperately wanted to create a piece of NBA history.
“There’s never been a father and son who’ve shared an NBA basketball court together… and that feels like something that could be magical,” Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said.
‘AND ‘The history of the NBA should be written in the Lakers uniform.’
The timing is interesting, too: LeBron’s future with the Lakers is somewhat cloudy, given that the veteran can opt out of the final year and $51 million of his contract this week to become a free agent.
However, the Lakers can offer the four-time MVP a three-year max contract worth $161 million, and with his son now on board, that might be too attractive for the 39-year-old to turn down.
Before the Lakers signed Bronny James, the young man, through his agent Rich Paul, reportedly told rival NBA teams to stay away from the point guard in the Draft.
The son of NBA superstar LeBron James has joined his father on the LA Lakers, after bizarrely threatening to play in Australia’s NBL competition if he was drafted by another franchise.
Bronny James, 19, was chosen in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft with the 55th overall pick.
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said: “There’s never been a father and son who’ve shared an NBA basketball court… and that feels like something that could be magical.”
The bold strategy has paid off, and the teenager famed for his basketball IQ and point-of-attack defense is now ready to grace NBA courts across America.
Bronny James now hopes to be one of the few sons to have played with his fathers in American professional sport.
Other examples include Ken Griffey Jr. playing baseball with his father Ken Griffey Sr. on the Seattle Mariners in 1990, while Mark and Marty Howe played alongside their legendary father Gordie with the Hartford Whalers in the late 1970s and 1980s.
When it comes to young American stars looking to prove themselves on Australian shores before breaking into the NBA, LaMelo Ball is a prime example in recent years.
The highly touted point guard was in the Illawarra Hawks squad in the 2019-200 season and was a revelation.
He was then selected as the third overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA draft.