Before Thursday, there had never been an active father-son duo playing in the NBA at the same time. And now, the first father-son pair are set to be teammates after the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James — the eldest son of LeBron James — with the No. 55 pick in the second round.
Bronny, 19, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game in his lone season at USC. He joined the Trojans in game action midseason after being sidelined for nearly five months while recovering from a cardiac arrest episode that required surgery to treat a congenital heart defect.
He was medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel on the eve of the draft combine.
The former McDonald’s All-American’s stock improved in Chicago during the NBA draft combine, testing well in agility drills and finishing as one of the top performers in the 3-point shooting drills.
His father has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his Lakers contract — worth $51.4 million for next season — or become an unrestricted free agent. The Lakers are focused on retaining LeBron James for his 22nd season and beyond and are willing to offer the 39-year-old the maximum three-year, $162 million deal he is eligible for to keep him with the franchise, sources told ESPN.