Bronny James, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, has entered the NBA Draft, the 19-year-old revealed Friday.

The 19-year-old freshman filed for the draft following only one season at USC, where he missed the first eight games due to a severe heart arrest in early July during the Trojans’ offseason training.

Bronny will also use the NCAA transfer portal to keep his collegiate eligibility, he explained.

The guard will work out for and visit NBA teams before making a draft decision based on evaluation, according to Shams Charania.


Whether Bronny takes the court beside his famous father in the NBA next year or continues to play college basketball, his future will not be in Southern California.
He appeared to confirm that his tenure with the Trojans had come to an end when he praised the school in an Instagram post.

‘I’ve had some ups and downs this year, but they’ve all contributed to my growth as a man, student, and athlete,’ Bronny wrote.

‘I’ve decided to join the NBA Draft while keeping my college eligibility, and I’ll also be using the NCAA transfer portal.

‘Thank you to USC for an incredible freshman year, and as always, I am grateful to my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers, and fans for their support.’

Bronny has played in 25 games for six different states in his only season with Southern California, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game.

He was supposed to have a greater influence on the Trojans’ season, but a treatment to address a congenital heart condition after cardiac arrest sidelined him for five months, significantly limiting his production as a freshman at USC.

Bronny missed the first eight games of his true freshman season due to a sudden heart collapse suffered during the Trojans’ offseason practices in early July.

Bronny will need to be tested and authorized by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can participate in team practices, the draft combine in May, or be drafted following his cardiac attack.

According to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, players invited to the Chicago draft combine must engage in team scouting events and submit to physicals.


In his first college game against Long Beach State on December 10, he scored four points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a chase-down block reminiscent of his father despite being limited in minutes. He played 16 minutes in that game, and the Trojans were defeated 84-79.
Bronny went on to make his first career start against Colorado on January 13. He subsequently started three straight Pac-12 games before coming off the bench for USC’s following two games. He was reinstated to USC’s starting lineup for three more games before returning to the bench for the rest of the season.

Earlier these week, LeBron rejected allegations that Bronny was on his way to the transfer portal, but confessed his kid faced some ‘difficult decisions’.

‘I’m not sure where [the reports] originated from, but at the end of the day, Bronny is his own man, and he has some difficult choices to make… After his 23-point, nine-assist effort on Tuesday, James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that his family will support him in anything he does.

However, it appears Bronny has made a decision on those difficult choices as his time at USC draws to a close.

LeBron James has long expressed his wish to play one season in the NBA with Bronny, the first of his three children with Savannah.


‘I need to be on the floor with my child; I have to be on the floor with Bronny,’ James said ESPN in January 2023.

‘Either in the same uniform or in a match against him,’ he explained. ‘… But I’d want to do the entire Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would definitely be perfect.
LeBron has one more year left on his contract in Los Angeles.

If Bronny decides to return to collegiate basketball, Duquense is considered to be a top destination.


LeBron campaigned for Duquesne in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament, and the school’s new coach, Dru Joyce, was LeBron’s high school classmate and a longtime James family friend.

Back in 2022, the Dukes attempted to recruit James’ youngest son, Bryce, at the age of 15, by offering him a Division I college scholarship.