The 2024 NBA Draft combine is the first time since he enrolled at USC last summer that LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. has spoken with any media. And surrounded by a massive scrum of reporters, James explained some of that decision.
He explained it effectively came from above him, seemingly dictated and agreed upon by his own agents and representatives and USC’s coaching staff. It’s not uncommon for freshmen to not speak with media.
“Just my team, stuff like that,” James said. “Made the decision for me that that would be best in that situation, current situation.”
As for the specific deliberation, he said he was not privy to what went into the decision.
“I couldn’t tell you, I’m just going off what I was told,” James said.
Despite reports to the contrary, James hasn’t ruled out a return to college
James has yet to make a final decision regarding his NBA Draft status. Shams Charania originally reported James was expected to stay in the draft rather than return to school.
In the latter case, he would test the waters and ultimately risk being drafted or not and start his pro career. Originally, James entered the NCAA transfer portal while also entering the draft process.
When asked if he made a decision, James cleared the air.
“No I have not,” James said when asked if he’s made a decision yet.
“It’s all a grateful experience,” he continued. “Extremely grateful to be here and to get an opportunity to be here to showcase my best work what I’ve been putting in after the season. And yeah, just to take it all in. I’m grateful for everything.”
James’ father LeBron James certainly gave his son words of encouragement leading into and during the combine.
“Yeah, he’s been talking to me,” James said. “After the day, we check in and stuff like that. He’s giving me words of encouragement.”
James is a former McDonald’s All-American who suffered a very serious heart injury that took him out for some of the 2024 season. He then returned to average 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, shooting 36.6% from the field, in 19 minutes per game as the eighth man on a sub-par USC team.
The Trojans finished below .500 and never sniffed the NCAA Tournament or even an NIT berth. James also finished with the second-worst Box Plus-Minus of any player in the USC lineup.
Most analysts believe he could’ve benefitted from one (or more) extra years in college, but instead, he’s testing his ability against other pro-ready players.
A four-star prospect, he was the No. 25 overall prospect from the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 was the only service to rank him as a five-star.
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