NBA
When Is Bronny James Eligible to Enter the NBA Draft?
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sports7 in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sports7 with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
All posts by Jack DoughertyUpdated18 Nov 2020
LeBron James' son, Bronny, has goals of following in his father's footsteps to join him in the NBA. He's already a highly touted high school prospect out of Sierra Canyon High School, and he's even garnering NBA draft buzz for a few years down the road.
Bronny is one of the most polarizing NBA prospects in basketball history for obvious reasons, but what is his realistic draft stock and when is he eligible to enter the NBA draft?
Bronny James is a highly ranked high school recruit
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Bronny James might be more famous for being the son of one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but the high school phenom has some impressive game of his own.
James is currently a sophomore at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, Calif. He showed some real promise during his freshman season at Sierra Canyon, and he entered his sophomore season ranked No. 30 overall in the 2023 high school class, according to 247Sports.
Since then, he's ascended to the No. 19 spot in the class. He's ranked the fifth-best combo guard in 2023 and the second-ranked player out of Ohio.
James has already fielded plenty of interest from the top collegiate teams in the country. Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA are among his top options, but Kentucky is the only school to offer him a scholarship thus far. James has plenty of time to decide on his future team, but Duke is expected to be the favorite to land him.
James is eligible to enter the NBA draft in 2024
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Bronny James is only focused on impressing scouts in high school and mulling his college options right now, but NBA teams are already gearing up to make a run at the star prospect in the near future.
James will graduate from high school in 2023 and enroll in college for the following season. Because of the NBA's one-and-done rules, he'll be eligible to enter the NBA draft after his freshman season in 2024.
There are already 2024 NBA mock drafts circulating the Internet, and James seems to be a fringe lottery pick if he does enter the draft that year. NBA Draft Room has James going No. 14 overall in 2024.
Obviously, that can change in the next few years as NBA teams watch James' progression and growth, but he should be a top pick either way based on his genes alone.
Could Bronny team up with LeBron in the NBA?
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LeBron James has been mostly quiet about the possibility of playing with or against his son in the NBA, but he'll only need to hold on for a few more years if he wants to do so.
Danny Green, James' teammate on the Lakers' 2020 championship team, believes James would love to play with his son if he makes it to 2024.
“I don’t know if his body will hold up for another three years,” Green told Forbes. “I don’t think he wants to play in the NBA and not be able to play at the level that he’s playing at right now. And I think three years from now it will be tough. The way he's going, I would assume most people are a shell of themselves 20 years later. But I’m sure he would love to play with Bronny.”
Basketball fans would love nothing more than to watch LeBron James guard his son on an NBA court one day.
