The long wait is finally over for the hyped 2024 NBA Draft as the Los Angeles Lakers have finally selected Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in the second round, finally ending all the speculations of where will the USC Trojans guard end up in the Draft. There were multiple talks as to how Bronny might end up with different teams, but it ends up where it was expected to begin with.

It was just a dream for LeBron James back in the day. He didn’t even expect to stay long enough in the NBA to be on this pace, and yet here we are, now playing with his eldest son in just a few months’ time. Bronny brings in a new feel for the Lakers’ as the team sets its eyes towards development in the season with a new head coach in JJ Redick as well.

This has been quite a historic feat considering that there are no father-son duos in the league – at least until now. At least, the league can be sure that James that won’t be retiring from the NBA after a spectacular career, and it seems that he will be taking this chance to play at the big stage with his son.

A Historic Team-Up in Los Angeles

Back then, James was just hoping to get that chance with Bronny, and now he is just a few months away from playing with his son – at least when he opts in with his player option. James can become a free agent next week, and he can either sign a new deal with the Lakers – or bring his talents to another team, possibly for the last time in his career. However, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was confident that they can sway James to return, especially after drafting Bronny.

“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … 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.”

It should be clear that even with Bronny drafted, there are no guarantees that both players would end up in a Lakers uniform. However, it is worth noting that there have been at least 100 instances in the history of the league where sons of players have joined the league after their fathers played, but a gap of at least five years has been present after the father’s career has wrapped up.

Will Bronny Log Heavy Minutes?

At 6-foot-4, Bronny comes in as one of the shortest guards in the NBA, and yet he comes with a promising athleticism and defensive IQ – reflecting him of his father’s game. At the age of 19, many fans and critics are keen to speculate how well he will end up with the rotation when the season begins.

After all, the Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick, showing that Bronny was not much of a priority unless he came around in the second round. Let’s not forget that the Lakers have multiple guards on the roster, including Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Max Christie to add to that list. It does seem that Bronny will have to contend for minutes when the time comes, and there’s no guarantee that he can even secure a rotation spot.

For now, the Lakers can be happy that they have brought in a bargaining chip for LeBron to stay with the team, but only time will tell once July kicks in as the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer decides on his future.