Bronny James, son of Lakers legend LeBron, declares for 2024 NBA Draft after just one season at USC – nine months on from suffering cardiac arrest during offseason training

Bronny James, son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, has declared for the NBA Draft, the 19-year-old announced Friday.

The 19-year-old freshman declared for the draft after just one season with USC, during which he missed the first eight games after suffering sudden cardiac arrest in early July during the Trojans’ offseason workouts. .

Bronny will also enter the NCAA transfer portal to maintain his college eligibility, he revealed.

The point guard will train and visit NBA teams and will make a decision in the draft depending on the evaluation, according to Shams Charania.

Whether Bronny takes the court alongside his famous father in the NBA next year or continues playing college basketball, his future won’t lie in Southern California.

He seemed to confirm that his time with the Trojans had come to an end when he thanked the school in his statement on Instagram.

“I’ve had a year with some ups and downs, but it all contributed to my growth as a man, student and athlete,” Bronny wrote.

‘I made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility and will also enter the NCAA transfer portal.

“Thank you to USC for an incredible first year and, as always, grateful to my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”

In his only season playing for Southern California thus far, Bronny has appeared in 25 games for six states, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his 19.4 minutes per game.

Bronny missed the first eight games of his true freshman season after suffering sudden cardiac arrest in early July during the Trojans’ offseason workouts.

Playing on a minutes restriction to begin his college career, he scored four points, along with two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a chase block reminiscent of his father’s in his first game against Long Beach State on December 10. He played 16 minutes in that game in which the Trojans were stunned, 84-79.

Bronny would then make his first career start against Colorado on January 13. He then started three straight Pac-12 games before coming off the bench in USC’s next two matchups. He was reinstated to USC’s starting lineup for three more games before returning from the bench for the remainder of the season.

Earlier this week, LeBron had denied reports that Bronny was headed to the transfer portal, but admitted that his son had to make some “tough decisions.”

“I don’t know where (the reports) came from, but at the end of the day, Bronny is his own man and he has a difficult decision to make… As his family, we will support everything he does,” James said. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin after his 23-point, nine-assist performance on Tuesday.

However, it now appears that Bronny has made up his mind about those difficult decisions as his time at USC comes to an end.