Family matters: Lakers pick Bronny to join dad

Before Thursday, there never had been a father-son duo playing in the NBA at the same time. And now, the first father-son pair is set to be teammates after the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James — the eldest son of LeBron James — with the 55th pick in the second round of the draft.

“Beyond blessed,” Bronny James wrote in an Instagram post.

The James family received the news while gathered together at an intimate dinner party in New York, sources told ESPN. LeBron’s mother, Gloria, and wife Savannah’s parents attended, along with some of Bronny’s closest friends and confidants.

After the Lakers delivered their decision, LeBron led the group in a champagne toast to commemorate the occasion, a source told ESPN, and was “very emotional” considering the weight of the moment.

Los Angeles Lakers pic.twitter.com/XES6ODc6ci

— Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) June 27, 2024

Been working a long time for this 💜 pic.twitter.com/CJAt1Hluhv

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

“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”

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.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound guard was medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel on the eve of the draft combine last month.

The former McDonald’s All-American saw his stock improve in Chicago during the combine, where he tested well in agility drills and finished as one of the top performers in the 3-point shooting drills.

“Bronny is, first and foremost, a person of high character,” Pelinka said. “And second, he is a young man that works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players and adding to our developmental corps at the Lakers.”

His father has until 5 p.m. ET Saturday 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.

Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis told ESPN before Thursday’s second round that he supported the team targeting Bronny.

“He’s very good defensively,” Davis told ESPN. “He can read the floor very well. I think he’s a really good playmaker. I saw him work out a couple times besides the [Klutch Sports] pro day and working with a big — his reads, reading the defense, making the right passes — that was really impressive to me. I think he’s going to be fine, man. Obviously it’s a lot of pressure on him with his dad being who he is.

“But one thing about Bronny, from what I’ve seen and what I heard, he wants to create his own path and he doesn’t want to be — even though he’s LeBron James’ son, he don’t want be seen as that. And I think having that mindset and trying to create his own path is going to work out for him. … Who knows, he might come in and be ready to play for us.”

The Lakers begin NBA Summer League play against the Houston Rockets on July 12 in Las Vegas.

During a pre-draft interview, Bronny said he hoped to model his game in the NBA after the likes of defensive-focused players such as Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

“I think he’s going to be a point-of-attack defender that can really be disruptive with the way he guards other teams’ point guards,” Pelinka said. “I think he can guard multiple positions. And we’ve really seen growth in shooting. … We really think he can turn into being an elite shotmaker. Just a 3-and-D player, for sure.”

Bronny made his USC debut in an afternoon game Dec. 10 against Long Beach State — the day after the Lakers won the In-Season Tournament championship over the Indiana Pacers in Las Vegas.

Pelinka arranged travel to be there in person and sat in a courtside seat just down the sideline from LeBron and Savannah.

“After everything that he had to endure, and it was really important to just be there in the moment for that,” Pelinka said. “And so, I made sure to get back even though we wanted to celebrate the IST and have some fun in Vegas. But it was really important to just be there in the moment. I think that’s what Lakers family is all about.”

Sources told ESPN that when LeBron James saw Pelinka at the Galen Center that day, the Lakers executive told his star player, “I’m just here to show our support.”

LeBron, according to sources, thanked Pelinka for coming and added a message: “I hope you’re here to scout, too.”