EL SEGUNDO (CNS) – In the first of what’s expected to be many media mobs surrounding Bronny James, the Lakers Tuesday will formally introduce their second-round draft pick during a news conference at the team’s El Segundo training center.
Oh, and Dalton Knecht, their first-round draft pick, will be there too.
But James, the 19-year-old son of Laker superstar LeBron James, will surely command most of the spotlight and questions, arguably the most-hyped and chronicled 55th overall pick in NBA draft history.
Bronny James was selected by the Lakers last Thursday with that 55th pick, bringing LeBron James’ oft-spoken desire to share an NBA court with his son one major step closer to reality.
Assuming no issues with either player, LeBron and Bronny James will become the first-ever father-son duo to team up in an NBA game.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ VP of basketball operations and general manager, and JJ Redick, the team’s new coach, will also be on hand for Tuesday’s news conference, according to an announcement from the team.
As for whether LeBron James will attend, a Lakers spokeswoman on Monday would say only, “We will know tomorrow.”
After picking Knecht — a guard from Tennessee — with the 17th overall pick in last Wednesday’s first round of the draft, the Lakers had been widely anticipated to select Bronny James in the second round on Thursday.
“Beyond blessed,” the younger James said on Instagram when that became a reality.
For his part, on Sunday, LeBron James posted on social media, “With the 55th in the 2024 NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers select … Bronny James,” followed by “Just had a moment!” and six teary-eyes emojis.
After his son was picked, LeBron James posted on Instagram, “NO WORDS!!” along with a picture of Bronny with a Lakers jersey superimposed on him.
Tuesday, Bronny will get to don a real Lakers jersey for the first time.
The younger James, who played one abbreviated season at USC after recovering from a heart issue, had worked out only for the Lakers and Phoenix Suns ahead of the draft and had expressed his desire to team up with his dad in Los Angeles.
In his lone season with the Trojans, Bronny James was limited to 490 minutes over 25 games with six starts. He missed the first eight games of the season while recovering from a medical procedure to treat a congenital heart defect.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 210-pound guard averaged 4.8 points per game.
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