Table of Contents
On April 5, Bronny James was the talk of the basketball world when he declared for the NBA Draft and entered the sport’s transfer portal after just one year at USC.
While Bronny’s stats with the Trojans weren’t eye-popping, he’s still generating draft buzz because of his father. LeBron James has repeatedly said he wants to play with his son.
The team that drafts Bronny will likely also be able to have LeBron until he retires.
DraftKings Sportsbook offers betting markets on where Bronny will go in the draft.
Unlike the WNBA Draft, the NBA Draft is an approved betting market in some states where sports betting is legal.
Bronny James Draft Odds
Here are DraftKings’ odds for which team will draft Bronny:
- Los Angeles Lakers: +150
- Phoenix Suns: +800
- Philadelphia 76ers: +1000
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +1000
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +1000
- New York Knicks: +1200
- Utah Jazz: +1200
- San Antonio Spurs: +1200
- Los Angeles Clippers: +1500
- Atlanta Hawks: +1600
- Miami Heat: +1600
Three of the top 11 teams (Lakers, Heat and Cavaliers) are teams that Lebron James has played for.
The Lakers are favored because they’re LeBron’s current team and because they’re reportedly open to drafting Bronny based on an April 2024 story from The Athletic.
The Lakers are open to drafting Bronny James this June to help fulfill LeBron James’ dream of playing with his son, team sources tell @shamscharania, @sam_amick and @jovanbuha.
Bronny announced earlier this month that he will enter the 2024 NBA Draft.
🔗https://t.co/cDZimJNOUx pic.twitter.com/IeUxoXm0qO
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 30, 2024
Bronny averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 25 games (six starts) for the Trojans.
He lacks his father’s size and profiles as a 3-and-D wing in the NBA, but he shot just 27% from 3-point range and 68% from the free-throw line.
Bronny James Player Profile
After playing in various leagues and tournaments as a middle schooler, Bronny transferred to Sierra Canyon High School in California for his prep career, where he was teammates with future NBA players Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams as a freshman.
He missed most of his sophomore year due to the COVID-19 shutdown before averaging 8.8 points, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals in 29 games as a junior.
Bronny improved to 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a senior and was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Nike Hoops Summit. He scored 15 points in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
As the son of arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, there’s always been attention surrounding Bronny’s development as a basketball player.
He received scholarship offers from colleges when he was just 10 years old and was rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN after his freshman year in high school.
That profile dropped after he suffered a season-ending injury at the end of his junior year, but he rose back up in the rankings after a strong senior year. He committed to USC over Oregon and Ohio State on Jan. 17, 2023.
His college career got off to a rocky start in July 2023 when he collapsed during a USC practice due to a congenital heart defect. While there was some speculation that the injury could end his playing career, he made his Trojans debut five months later.
Where Could Bronny James Be Drafted?
Initially, it looked like Bronny had a chance to be a lottery pick, with ESPN projecting him to be a top-10 pick in February 2023.
His draft stock has dropped over the past year, following his health issue and disappointing freshman year. ESPN left Bronny out of its February 2024 mock draft, which drew the ire of his father.
While Rich Paul (the agent for both Bronny and his father) told ESPN that Bronny going to the right team “doesn’t necessarily equate” to landing on the same team as his father, it’s clearly part of the equation.
LeBron James has a $51.4 million player option with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season. He can either opt into another season in Hollywood, sign a new contract with Los Angeles or sign with another team.
James has until June 29 to decide whether to accept his option, so he can wait until after the draft to make a decision.
Should You Bet on Bronny James’ Draft Odds?
Right now, we say no. While it does seem like whichever team drafts Bronny has a great chance of also getting his dad, there’s no guarantee that he’ll get drafted.
In a story for The Athletic, NBA insider Sam Vecenie spoke with five scouts. Four said that Bronny would go undrafted and one said they’d draft him late in the second round.
The NBA Draft differs from other drafts because of the pronounced drop-off between the first and second rounds. It’s not like the NFL Draft where you can find a Brock Purdy with the last pick, as many second-round picks don’t amount to much.
Because of that, a team might be tempted to use its second-round pick on Bronny to help recruit LeBron. It would be a risky strategy, however, as James is 39 and could decide to retire or stay put this offseason.
If you do bet on Bronny getting drafted, we recommend betting on the Lakers, Heat or Cavs because of LeBron’s history with those teams. As mentioned above, the Lakers have also indicated that they’re open to drafting Bronny.
The Clippers are a viable play as well given that they also play in Los Angeles and have a better core than the Lakers.
Photo by David Becker/Getty Images