Bronny James drafted by Lakers, will play alongside father LeBron

LeBron James has bested father time once again.

As the future Hall of Famer enters his 22nd NBA season, he will be joined by his oldest son Bronny, who was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA draft.

LeBron and Bronny will become the first father-son duo to both play in the NBA at the same time, doing so together as teammates with the Lakers.

Bronny entered the draft following a single campaign at USC, where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists across 25 games (six starts).

Once considered a potential top 15 draft selection coming out of high school, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest episode last summer and was subsequently sidelined for five months. The incident hindered his immediate productivity at the college level.

LeBron has long spoken of his desire to play alongside Bronny before retiring from basketball, with the Lakers brass and James family management ensuring that such a dream could become reality.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy,” LeBron told ESPN in January 2023 . “I got to be on the floor with Bronny. Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. ... I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.”