NBA Rumors: Warriors Passed On Bronny James Out Of Respect For LeBron’s Lakers Wishes | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The Golden State Warriors have reportedly waived Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft despite having him on their draft board.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Warriors “liked Bronny’s skills” but decided against drafting him at No. 52 overall to “respect the wishes” of his father and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Ultimately, Bronny ended up with the Lakers in the second round at No. 55 overall, meaning he and LeBron could be the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history.

Bronny, 19, played one season in college and appeared in 25 games for USC last season.

James’ college career got off to a late start as he had to undergo heart surgery after suffering cardiac arrest during practice, but he made his debut after missing the Trojans’ first eight games.

Unfortunately for Bronny, he never quite found his place on the team, averaging just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from distance .

There was some thought that Bronny could go in the first round with a strong freshman year, but given his struggles, it was unclear whether he would even be taken in the draft.

However, Bronny decided to leave USC for the NBA after just one season, turning down the opportunity to potentially improve his numbers as a sophomore and improve his draft stock.

Going into the pre-draft process, it was unknown whether Bronny would even be taken in the draft, but after performing well in target practice at the combine, he firmly put himself in the second-round conversation.

The Lakers were always considered favorites to sign Bronny, as LeBron had expressed a desire to be his son’s teammate on many occasions, but there was also speculation that another team might acquire Bronny in an attempt to force LeBron out as a free agent Agency to sign with them.

During the draft, former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, told teams not to take Bronny: