Bronny James is leaving all of his options open after his freshman season at USC.
James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, announced on Friday that he will enter the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. Bronny is also entering the transfer portal, which we knew from a recent report.
Bronny issued a statement via Instagram and captioned the post “Thank you USC.”
“I’ve had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete. I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal,” James wrote. “Thank you to USC for an amazing Freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”
James suffered a cardiac arrest and underwent a heart procedure last summer. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the 19-year-old will need to be evaluated and cleared by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can become eligible to participate in team workouts, the Draft Combine in May or be selected in the draft.
If he is cleared, James will have until June 16 to decide if he wants to remain in the NBA Draft. He can meet with teams for workouts and interviews leading up to that date.
Should Bronny decide to remain in college, he seems likely to leave USC. The Trojans hired Eric Musselman as their new head coach on Thursday after Andy Enfield, the head coach who James signed to play for, left to take the SMU job.
Some favorites have already emerged to land Bronny if he transfers.
After overcoming the heart issue that resulted in his hospitalization, James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game over 25 contests with USC.
