Since LeBron James announced that he wanted to play with his son before retiring, Bronny James’ future has received special media attention. Recently, ESPN made a prediction that Bronny could become one of the first 10 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“Bronny James is expected to have a high position. As the best defender in his high school class, Bronny also showed rapid improvement in his long-distance throwing ability as well as other skills” , ESPN commented.
As the son of one of the greatest legends in NBA history, the pressure on Bronny is not small. He is always compared to his great father, LeBron James. Although he cannot compare to LeBron when he was young, Bronny still has his own place.
Bronny was on the US team’s roster to attend the Nike Hoop Summit (the All-Star basketball match between the US and the world junior team). Many teams in the G-League as well as the Australian NBL tried to sign Bronny as soon as he graduated from high school.
LeBron James’ eldest son also signed an NIL contract with Nike and has a strong following on social media. His improving playing style and family reputation help him become the star with the highest brand value of On3Nil.
To date, Bronny has 12.5 million followers on social networking platforms and is valued by NIL at 7.5 million USD, the highest among high school athletes. This valuation is even higher than many athletes at the university level.
Bronny James is 1.9m tall and weighs 86kg, playing both point guard and ball defender positions. He is considered by scouts to be a good-thinking defender, both in coordinating the ball and defending. However, Bronny’s disadvantage is the lack of variability in his gameplay, and sometimes playing too much as a team. He is rated at 4/5 stars.
ESPN has predicted Bronny could be in the top 10 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, and his team could be the Orlando Magic. If it becomes true, this will become an interesting story because of LeBron James’ previous contradictory statements.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar made no secret of his intention to play football with his son Bronny before retiring. However, in 2021, LeBron announced that he did not want to play for the Orlando Magic. The 38-year-old star even announced that he would retire immediately if he was traded to Orlando.
Therefore, if Bronny is selected by the Orlando Magic, this will be an interesting story for LeBron. The Lakers superstar must reverse one of his two statements, play with Bronny or retire if he moves to the Orlando Magic.
Even though he hasn’t entered college yet, Bronny’s influence and reputation have surpassed many professional players. This is both an opportunity and a big challenge for Bronny. The extraordinary things that LeBron has been creating will be a huge pressure and shadow that Bronny must overcome if he wants to create his own basketball personality.
Bronny still has a year to continue to strive, improve himself and prove his talent before entering the 2024 NBA Draft.
