Bronny James medically cleared for NBA activities, expects to stay in 2024 NBA Draft

Bronny James medically cleared for NBA activities, expects to stay in 2024 NBA Draft

Former USC guard Bronny James has been medically cleared to participate in pre-draft activities and will plan to keep his name in the 2024 NBA Draft circuit, NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report Monday.

Sources: Bronny James is expected to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft. The USC freshman has been fully cleared to play in the league as part of Fitness to Play panel and will participate in all pre-draft activities starting with the Draft Combine this week. pic.twitter.com/UDf3HanCAS

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 13, 2024

James, the son of LeBron James, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, shooting 36.6 percent from the floor, 26.7 percent from 3-point range and 67.6 percent from the free-throw line in his lone season at USC.

Even though he played an abbreviated season, the fact that James has been cleared for NBA activity roughly 10 months since suffering a cardiac arrest–caused by a congenital heart defect–is excellent news. Regardless of how you feel about him as a prospect, his health is most important.

With the draft combine this week, it will give James an opportunity to showcase his skillset in front of executives and other evaluators–including playing in live 5-on-5 scrimmages with (and against) other prospects. He will be teamed up with Alabama’s Mark Sears, UConn’s Alex Karaban and Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves, among others, for Team St. Andrews this week.

Here are the full NBA combine scrimmage rosters:

NBA Draft Combine Rosters pic.twitter.com/7JU2gyNJYx

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 13, 2024

He’s currently rated as ESPN’s No. 98 prospect; some evaluators believe James needs more development as a prospect, even if the defensive and playmaking tools are there.

“He’s a very smart player and has a solid feel for the game,” one NBA scout said, according to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports. “He needs more time to develop, but the fundamental mechanics are there.”

“I think he’ll probably stay in this draft,” one NBA executive said, according to Peek. “Should he go back for another year? Probably, but teams will take a serious look at him this year if he decides to stay in this draft class.”

ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported in late April that LeBron has not made it a recent priority to play with his son after years of saying he’s wanted to play with him. James is expected to opt out of his $51.4 million player option and, barring something unforeseen, re-up with Los Angeles (who own his bird rights), per Wojnarowski.

Report: LeBron James playing with Bronny is ‘not a priority’

That could open the door for certain teams to take a chance on him in the second round, even if he has to spend time in the G-League for developmental purposes. Should there be a change of mind, he has until May 29 to retract his name and maintain college eligibility.

Which teams do you think should target him? Let us know in the comments!

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