Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA legend LeBron James, appeared to be speechless on Thursday the moment he learned he’d been drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers — the same team his father plays for.
The 19-year-old was seen in a video shared by “SportsCenter” fighting back tears as he watched the announcement during the broadcast for the 2024 NBA Draft with family and friends.
He then put on a Lakers hat handed to him by his mother, Savannah James.
The Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the second round of the draft. The younger James celebrated the news in a post on his Instagram Story on Thursday, writing: “Beyond Blessed.”
LeBron James also celebrated his son’s accomplishment by sharing a slideshow of photos on Instagram, including a picture of him seated courtside next to his son at a basketball game when Bronny was a young child.
“LEGACY!!!!!!” LeBron captioned the post.
Bronny James completed his freshman season for the University of Southern California men’s basketball team in the spring. He missed the start of the season due to a health scare, when he experienced a cardiac arrest during a workout with the USC Trojans last July. He made his debut with the college team in December, and in April announced his decision to declare for the draft.
LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader who joined the Lakers in 2018, has expressed his hope to play in the NBA with his eldest son on several occasions.
The NBA legend could become a free agent, and possibly sign with another team, if he decides not to opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers.
Nonetheless, LeBron and Bronny James could become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.
