Rachel Nichols Reveals Lakers’ Plan For Bronny James, NBA Draft

Bronny James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per Game during his freshman campaign at USC this past season.

Most expected him to return to college for another year, but last week Bronny declared for the 2024 NBA Draft – while maintaining his eligibility.

In recent days, NBA scouts have offered some brutally honest takes on Bronny’s pro prospects.

Because Bronny’s dad, LeBron James, has publicly voiced a desire to play alongside him – many have wondered whether the Los Angeles Lakers would draft him.

This past week, NBA insider Rachel Nichols spoke on Fox Sports regarding the matter.

“It depends on part on what LeBron James, Bronny James, and Savannah James want,” Nichols said on Undisputed.

“Because if they want him to play in the NBA and LeBron wants him to play a year with him and Bronny wants that… Then he will play in the NBA on the Lakers next year because Jeanie Buss has a history of treating her star players like stars, doing what they want.”

Nichols didn’t stop there, though.

“And by the way, it wouldn’t be like plucking some guy off the street,” she continued.

“Bronny James has gotten evaluated by scouts as a potential late second-rounder, someone you might put on a two-way contract. He has got high basketball IQ. He is willing to be an on-ball defender…He has got more of an NBA body than you would expect.”

Olivia Dunne’s Looks Completely Different In Unedited Photos https://t.co/ibClau7Tpu

— Game 7 (@Game7__) April 9, 2024

Clearly LeBron would love to play alongside Bronny. That much is clear.

But are the Lakers really willing to waste a draft pick in order to make the 39-year-old’s dream a reality? Probably not, especially not in light of LeBron’s other recent demand for the organization.

The next few months promise to be very interesting for Bronny and Co. what does the future hold for him? An answer one way or the other is coming soon enough.

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Carlos Garcia

A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.