“Bronny Will Get Drafted”: Skip Bayless’ FS1 Co-Host Explains Why the 2024 Draft Will See NBA Teams Vying for LeBron James’ Son

Will Bronny James see his name being called by Adam Silver during the 2024 NBA Draft? During a discussion on the topic on FS1’s Undisputed, Skip Bayless and his co-hosts Keyshawn Johnson and Richard Sherman discussed the possibility of Bronny James being drafted later this year. Sherman opined that Bronny should opt out of the 2024 NBA Draft and spend one more year in college “in his best interest”. He believes that with the USC guard’s current skillset, he will “not be drafted high enough”. 

Keyshawn Johnson disagreed with Sherman and interjected, “If he[Bronny James] comes out, he[Bronny] will get drafted.” Sherman then agreed that the 19-year-old may get drafted but that will be because teams will be attracted by the lure of getting LeBron James to play for their franchise. The former Seahawks Cornerback also added, ”He[Bronny] wouldn’t be having the season that he’d wanna have.”

Johnson then argued that Bronny is one of those players who is “better suited as a pro ball player’” than a college player. Skip Bayless agreed with this statement as Johnson quoted Russell Westbrook’s example who thrived in the NBA despite being a role player in college.

Johnson argued that most of the time NBA scouts had already made their decision about a player by the time they come out of high school. This can leave a player’s college contributions redundant. Considering Bronny was a four-star recruit out of high school and ranked among the top 30 prospects in the country, the former Jets WR believed that NBA teams would bank on Bronny’s potential rather than his current contributions for USC. In addition to that, they’ll also have LeBron James, who is still one of the best players in the league.

Because of a cardiac arrest in June of last year, James’ performances for the USC Trojans haven’t translated well. The heavily scrutinized Trojans Guard has tallied 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 37% shooting. These numbers don’t scream NBA talent but Bronny is taking his time adjusting after a horrible setback. While he has shown all-around talent, his shot has been way off.

If he gets drafted by a team trying to lure his father, the consequences on team chemistry can be heavy. How would his teammates rationalize their team drafting someone just to get their father to play for them? They will consider it a slight and may consider Bronny undeserving of his spot. This kind of setting can upset both the career growth of Bronny James and the reputation of the franchise that drafts him just to sign LeBron James. Is there a possibility of such a thing happening?

Bronny James’ draft status is dividing opinions

Just recently, Chandler Parsons made a bold proclamation about Bronny and his father LeBron James playing together. For Parsons, James may already have a “backdoor deal” with a team to make things work in that direction. On his pod Run It Back, Parsons opined, ”I think he already knows that Bronny is declaring for the draft. He probably already has a backdoor deal with a team where he is going to squat up with him. The minute you see Bronny James declare for the draft, they know who’s taking him and you know where LeBron James is going.”

Meanwhile, Austin Rivers doesn’t consider such type of a move wise for Bronny. The former NBA Guard was paired with his father Doc Rivers as a player-coach son-father tandem during his Clippers days. For Rivers, this decision backfired because his accomplishments were getting buried. On ESPN, he expressed, “I seriously hope it doesn’t happen. I am not keen on seeing Bronny team up with his dad, he doesn’t deserve it. I have been through something similar, and it results in people undermining all your accomplishments.”

While Bronny’s draft prospects may not look alluring, as a 19-year-old, he has time to realize his potential. Whether he pairs up with his father or not is a sensational debate. More than that, Bronny and his dad would hope that the Trojans Guard gets his shot going.