April 5 update: According to Shams Charania, Bronny James plans to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while remaining in the transfer portal to maintain his flexibility. He’ll go through the draft process and get feedback before ultimately making a decision, but the likelihood of him staying at the college level remains high.
USC Trojans guard Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has decided to enter the transfer portal. We can expect a lot of USC players to be making moves with Andy Enfield leaving the program to take over at SMU, but James was a rare case who could’ve potentially stayed with his family nearby.
USC freshman Bronny James is declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft. James, 19, also is entering NCAA transfer portal to maintain flexibility. The combo guard will work out for and visit NBA teams and make a draft decision based on evaluation. pic.twitter.com/azJgWNNqmQ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 5, 2024
James appeared in 25 games during his freshman season with the Trojans, starting in six of them. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, showcasing his all-around versatility but never truly exploding as a superstar. He’s not expected to be that type of score-first guard going forward, but he’s a capable talent any program could use. And it helps that he’ll carry some attention with LeBron James likely to attend games. Bronny notably came back to the court after missing nearly five months due to a sudden cardiac arrest he suffered in late July. At the time, he was seen as a top prospect in the NBA draft due to the possibility of his father joining him on his new team. However, that narrative has faded and Bronny’s stock has taken a bit of a hit too.
As far as next stops go, Ohio State and Oregon were on James’ final list during his original recruitment with Ohio State being the other finalist. The Buckeyes are going through a coaching change as well, but they will still be a contender for his services given the importance of that school for LeBron. Other options could be Cal and UCLA.
James could still enter the 2024 NBA Draft because the deadline for underclassmen for early entrants to get in is April 27. He could stay in the draft process until June 16, which is the withdrawal deadline for underclassmen. However, given how much his stock has fallen since he didn’t perform as many expected him too, an actual change of scenery at the college level seems more likely in the cards.
