Savannah James Shares Honest Thoughts on Lakers Drafting Her Son Bronny James

When the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft back in Junes, it was received with mixed emotions from fans.

However, the night was cause for celebration in the James house as Bronny made history as he and his father LeBron James became the first father-son duo to play for the same team in NBA history.

It was also a sentimental moment for Bronny’s mother Savannah, who recently opened up about what draft day was like for her on her “Everybody’s Crazy” podcast as she recalled the moment she heard her 19-year-old son’s name called by her husband’s team.

“It was just an emotional moment — I watched my boy do something that is…I’m just so proud,” Savannah said. “I’m a G, I’m not going to cry this time, I’m going to keep it together. But yeah, that’s the craziest thing because I just didn’t see it coming. It just hit me like [emotions], they all came at once.”

Outside of the James’ household, though, things weren’t as upbeat.

Bronny had an underwhelming freshman season at USC. averaged just 19.3 minutes per night, and his offensive production — 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 25 appearances — left much to be desired and prompted many to proclaim he was only drafted because of nepotism.

And while LeBron admitted that sharing the court with his son is his greatest accomplishment in basketball, he also disclosed that just because he’s related to the Lakers’ newest rookie, he won’t allow him to just skate by on his last name.

“At the end of the day, [there] won’t be no shortcuts, that’s for sure,” LeBron told TODAY . “I don’t hold anybody to shortcut standard when it comes to the game of basketball and somebody being around me on a day-to-day basis.”

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