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Basketball fans have waited for weeks to receive some kind of clarity on the playing future of Bronny James. It was already known that the eldest son of LeBron James would not return to USC, where he played his freshman season in college basketball, but Bronny's simultaneous presence in the transfer portal and his eligibility for the 2024 NBA Draft created a tug-of-war over the 19-year-old's next steps in basketball.
Well, wonder no more. The latest reports say that the younger James is "expected" to stay in the 2024 draft ahead of a looming deadline to withdraw his name from consideration -- and a health-related development has boosted Bronny's draft prospects, as well as his potential future in the NBA.
Is LeBron tying his future to Bronny?
The NBA's Fitness to Play has cleared Bronny for pro action after he went into cardiac arrest during a workout last year -- and after the teenager later had to undergo an operation to repair a congenital heart defect. That clearance from the Fitness to Play has emboldened Bronny to remain in the draft -- and it has emboldened LeBron to take a tougher stance over his own NBA future.
LeBron is a pending free agent and is expected to hit the market after he officially opts out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2024/25 season. LeBron's longtime agent Rich Paul is reportedly attempting to convince teams that their chances to sign the King will improve if they take a swing on Bronny in the draft.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst does expect LeBron to remain in Los Angeles in spite of the swirling speculation over his future. But if a team other than the Lakers opts to take Bronny in the second round of the June 26 draft, it could create an interesting qoffseason decision for the NBA's all-time leading scorer.