Bronny James reportedly had interest from 10 NBA teams for workouts, but declined all of them except two: The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
“Bronny James was scheduled for 10 workouts with NBA teams, but he’s declined all of them except two: Lakers and Suns, per Shams Charania … Phoenix will legitimately be considering Bronny at No. 22 overall,” Evan Sidery wrote on Twitter.
James’ current draft stock is questionable after his lone season at USC. But he ultimately stayed in the draft process. Based on the report, perhaps the Suns are willing to spend a first round selection on the son of LeBron James.
Bronny James showed flashes with the Trojans, but when he suffered cardiac arrest last summer, his basketball future was in question.
James was swiftly treated and taken to the hospital following the incident, with later doctors discovering a congenital heart defect. And after making a full recovery and missing the first eight games of the Trojans’ season, he returned to the USC lineup and made his college debut.
Since then James has declared for the NBA Draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal this offseason. And at the NBA Combine, he was asked when he eventually shook the fear regarding his health after the episode.
“It’s still lingering,” James smiled and admitted. “I feel like my parents were a big factor of believing in me and giving me the love and affection that I needed at that time. But yeah, I still think about everything that could happen. But I just love the game so much that it just overpowers is.”
James was honest about the aftermath of a frightening situation but seemed in good spirits nearly one year removed from his cardiac arrest. And he was also honest about whether the cardiac arrest affected how he played once he did return to the court.
“Yeah, for sure. I was set back, but that’s not an excuse,” James said. “I’ve put in so many years of work and I don’t want to have anyone think that just because I have this issue that I’m lower than everyone else.”
James was initially placed on a minutes restriction before ramping things up in his freshman season with USC. But his production does not necessarily reflect that of a potential pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his 19.4 minutes per game. Primarily coming off of the bench for the Trojans with six starts on the year and three games scoring in double-figures.
He was a highly touted high school recruit out of Sierra Canyon in California where he was a four-star prospect rated as the No. 25 overall recruit and the No. 6 ranked point guard in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. But many are curious if his pursuit of the NBA is an attempt to team up with his father at the NBA level, who approaches 40 year old next season.
LeBron James is expected to be a free agent this summer, per his agent Rich Paul. If he returns to the Lakers, the father-son duo could play with each other. The Suns’ workout is also interesting considering the bevy of talent, but disappointment for that franchise the last couple of seasons.
Could LeBron go to Phoenix? There’s been no indication and there’s no guarantee LeBron will be on the same team as Bronny when the latter begins his pro career.
Kaiden Smith contributed to this report
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