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Bronny James was picked in the second round of the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers where he could play alongside his legendary father LeBron.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 19-year-old was the 55th choice of the draft in New York on Thursday after weeks of speculation about which team he would end up on.<\/p>\n
Four-time NBA champion LeBron, 39, is probably entering the final year of his career and could become a free agent this summer by declining his $51.4m (\u00a340.6m) player option when the window opens at the end of June.<\/p>\n
However, that prospect seems remote given the the four-time NBA champion said after the All-Star game in 2022 that his “last year will be played with my son”.<\/p>\n
No father-son pairing has ever played together in the NBA before.<\/p>\n
“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.<\/p>\n
“We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out\u2026 but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”<\/p>\n
On Instagram, Bronny wrote “Beyond Blessed”, while his father posted a series of pictures of the pair and the caption “Legacy”.<\/p>\n
Bronny has completed his first year of college basketball with the University of Southern California Trojans, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists per game.<\/p>\n
Unlike his father, who stands at 6ft 9in and is the NBA’s leading all-time scorer, teenager Bronny is 6ft 1in and is more of a defensive player.<\/p>\n
Being the son of a four-time Most Valuable Player brings extra attention along with it. Bronny has 7.7 million Instagram followers and pundits have followed his journey for years.<\/p>\n
Despite that, his path has not been entirely smooth. Bronny had a cardiac arrest in training last July,<\/a> after which he was only cleared to return to basketball last November,<\/a> having been found to have a congenital heart defect.<\/p>\n Bronny is not expected to play a major role for the Lakers in his rookie season, but the possibility of him appearing alongside his father is likely to garner plenty of attention.<\/p>\n Lakers player Anthony Davis spoke to ESPN about Bronny before Thursday’s second round of the draft, saying: “He’s very good defensively. He can read the floor very well. I think he’s a really good playmaker.<\/p>\n “I think he’s going to be fine, man. Obviously it’s a lot of pressure on him with his dad being who he is.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n