Bronny James has been medically cleared to participate in NBA combine, signs point to a future with the Lakers (2024)

LeBron James is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is also one of the most influential NBA athletes — especially when it comes to dictating who will be on his team.

For the last two years, he has been telling us (repeatedly) that he will be playing with his son,Bronny James. And if history serves as proof, then we should take him at his word.

"My last year will be played with my son," James toldThe Athleticin February of 2022. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."

Not coincidently, LeBron's contract also aligned with when Bronny was eligible to enter the league, giving him the leverage to back-up his claim.

In the two years since, LeBron has done nothing but double-down on this statement.

But what would Bronny’s NBAstock look like if he were not the eldest son and namesake of LeBron James?

The evaluation remains pretty consistent with what we were saying late into his high school career.

Bronny deserves credit for playing the right way, valuing the ball, being a willing passer and, most of all, defending. In fact, it was his defense that has translated the best to USC.

He’s still not the creator that some assumed he'd be based solely on his name. But, the fact that his 3-point shooting did not translate to the college levelwas the biggest offensive surprise.

He’s a good athlete, with a compact and powerful body. But, he's probably not the 6-foot-4 that USC lists him as. For a guard who plays primary off-the-ball to this point, that makes him undersized by NBA standards.

As we said last year: “His NBA projections depends on the extent to which his father ties the end of his career to Bronny’s location.”

That continues to be true since, up to this point, Bronny has not done enough to be in the NBA Draft conversation.

In January of 2023, he told ESPN: “I need to be on the floor with my boy. I got to be on the floor with Bronny. Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him…I don’t mean like guarding one another all game – because he’s a point guard and I’m a – at this point now I’m playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”

In October of 2023, he even made a commercial about it. An ad for Beats by Dre was narrated by his wife, Savanah, and she said: “Tell them you’re not done til you play with your son…then do that again (as Bryce’s face appears)."

Just last month, LeBron was in the Laker locker room saying: "[Bronny] could play for us right now. Easy. Easy.”

At the time, Bronny was averaging 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 50% from the floor and 31.6% from deep in a back-up role while coming off the bench for a USC program that was 8-7 overall and 2-2 in the Pac-12.

At last weekend’s All-Star game, the same setting where James’ initial comments had come two years earlier, Lebron was asked about his son's future by TNT.

“It’s up to him. It’s up to the kid," he replied "Obviously, we’re going to go through the whole process. He’s still in season now, has the Pac-12 tournament coming up. We’re going to weight our options and we’re going to let the kid make the decision.”

That was a more lukewarm answer than he’s given in the past, but it all still pointed in the same direction.

But, what has changed in the last year regarding this situation is LeBron's clear intent to remain a Laker.

Two years ago, he teased a potential return to Cleveland. Earlier this month, in a game at Madison Square Garden, he did his post-game interview on national TV with a Knicks towel draped around his shoulders. A reported message to the Lakers’ front office, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Although, at the trade deadline, the Warriors inquired about James’ availability and they were rebuffed.

That tells us everything we need to know.

If Lebron doesn’t want to move up the California coast to play with the best shooter in NBA history and his close friend Draymond Green, then he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. It’s also naïve to think that any deal for LeBron would happen without the parties involved consulting Klutch first (meaning without LeBron’s blessing).

This impacts Bronny because now the scenario in which a team would draft him higher than this stock in hopes of attracting LeBron to follow him are outdated. LeBron wants to remain a Laker and Klutch would communicate that to anyone who inquired. Furthermore, LeBron wants Bronny with him. As a result, you can bet that Klutch would discourage any other team from drafting the younger James because of 'Bron's desires.

So, it all boils down to this: Bronny Jamesbecomes a member of the Los Angeles Lakers next year, in my opinion.

This isn't based on his play at USC or even his upcomingperformance as the NBA combine. Instead, it's a byproduct of his father’s stardom and his correlated influence.

For more on Lebron, Bronny, and other fall-out coming from the NBA's All-Star weekend, the latest episode of College Basketball Recruiting Weekly can be found below: