Father-son NBA duo: Lakers draft Bronny James to pair him with LeBron

Bronny is the first player to ever be drafted into the NBA while his father is an active player.

Bronny and LeBron James are now NBA teammates.

The Los Angeles Lakers selected the USC guard with the 55th overall pick in second round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday.

Bronny: Los Angeles Laker. pic.twitter.com/TvhkzEs9sO

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024

Bronny, the 19-year-old son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer, is the first player to ever be drafted into the league while his father is an active player. And the two are now set to be teammates should LeBron remain with the Lakers next season. LeBron has the ability to hit free agency if he declines his $54.1 million player option.

Bronny enters the league following a tumultuous freshman year with the Trojans. Months before his college career was set to begin, James suffered a cardiac arrest during a July practice at USC's Galen Center. He was hospitalized and later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, the likely cause of his cardiac arrest.

After undergoing a procedure to treat his congenital heart defect, James made his debut in early December. But he struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm throughout the rest of the season.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound guard averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game over 25 contests. He shot just 36.6% from the floor, 26.7% from 3-point range (60 total attempts) and 67.6% from the free throw line (34 total attempts).

James, however, has drawn rave reviews for his mindset and ability on the defensive end of the floor. So while his offensive game still needs work, he does boast enticing two-way potential at the guard spot.

LeBron had stated a desire to play alongside Bronny in the past. But after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the 2024 playoffs, LeBron said he hadn't "given much thought lately" to the idea.

Agent Rich Paul, who represents both Bronny and LeBron, told ESPN in the leadup to the draft that "LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny. If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't."

The first ten picks in the 2024 NBA Draft have been selected.