Bronny James, son of NBA great Lebron James, announced on Friday his plan to enter both the NBA draft and the NCAA transfer portal on Instagram, after his debut season with the University of Southern California (USC) was shortened due to a cardiac arrest that happened during practice less than a year ago.
“I’ve had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete,” James wrote.
“Thank you to USC for an amazing Freshman year, and as always [I’m] thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support,” said the 19-year-old who underwent surgery to repair a congenital heart defect in July last year.
His father, the all-time NBA leading scorer who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, told ESPN in 2023: “I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny.”
“Bronny is his own man,” the 39-year-old said this week. “He has some tough decisions to make. When he’s ready to make those decisions, he’ll let us all know. But as his family, we’re going to support whatever he does.”
The teenager averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans since he made his debut in December.
The 2024 NBA draft will take place on June 26-27.