Bronny James has yet to sign his first NBA contract, but the date of his imminent debut and his Los Angeles Lakers jersey number are already being revealed.
After LeBron’s eldest son was taken with the 55th pick of the NBA Draft on Thursday, the former USC guard is scheduled to make his Summer League debut July 6 at 4:30pm EST, when he, first-round pick Dalton Knecht and a group of Laker hopefuls will square off with the Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas.
LeBron is known to train in Las Vegas during the offseason, so it would not be a surprise to catch him in the 17,600-seat Golden 1 Center.
As for Bronny’s jersey, the local product will be wearing No. 9 for LA in 2024-25, the team has revealed.
Other notable Lakers to wear that jersey include Nick Van Exel, Chucky Atkins, Chris Kaman, Matt Barnes, Luol Deng, Rajon Rondo and, most recently, Sterling Brown.
Bronny James talks to the media during the 2024 NBA Combine on May 14
LeBron James will have a chance to play with his son in 2024-25 if he stays with the Lakers
Bronny’s arrival in the NBA after a single lackluster season at USC prompted a debate over nepotism in the league, but at least one of the aforementioned players doesn’t seem to mind.
‘Let’s gooooooo!!!!!!!’ Van Exel wrote on X.
The former All-Star and second-round draft pick defended Bronny against allegations of nepotism on social media.
‘Folks acting like this don’t happen every single day in this world,’ wrote Van Exel, who is now in his 50s and recently worked as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. ‘Lmao. Congrats. I can name PLENTYYYYYYYY!!!!!! In a bunch of dif professions.’
The pick comes after weeks of speculation about where Bronny would be selected in the NBA Draft. Some saw him as a potential first-round pick, while others thought he should go undrafted.
Another second-round pick, former All-Star Nick Van Exel was happy Bronny got his old jersey
Bronny’s single season of college basketball turned out to be a major letdown after the McDonald’s All-American suffered cardiac arrest while practicing in July of 2023. He was cleared to return to the court, but averaged only 19.4 minutes over 25 games for the Trojans, while scoring just 4.8 points per outing.
But the LA Lakers decided that they’d seen enough and selected the 19-year-old anyway despite his limited experience and stats from college.
Interestingly, LeBron’s future with the Lakers is somewhat clouded, given that he can opt out of the final year and $51 million of his deal this week to become a free agent.
However, the Lakers can offer the four-time MVP a three-year maximum deal worth $161 million, and with his son on board, that might be too much for LeBron to turn down.
‘We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out,’ GM Rob Pelinka said Thursday. ‘But if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.’
