Team to draft Bronny James Odds: Lakers, Knicks, Cavs, and Heat top contenders to land Bronny James

The conversation around the NBA Draft is heating up. Yes, this class is not expected to be a blockbuster, but it’s still a significant period in the basketball calendar. While there’s no Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, or Chet Holmgren atop this cohort, there is the small matter of the son of arguably the greatest player in the sport’s history.

Bronny James is not an elite prospect. Some draft analysts don’t believe he should be drafted.

LeBron’s desire to play with his son changes the equation, however, as a team could select Bronny in the hope of luring LeBron. He might be a few months away from celebrating his 40th birthday, but the four-time MVP is still an All-NBA caliber performer.

Bet365 has provided odds on which team will roll the dice and select Bronny James after he declared for the Draft and entered the NCAAB transfer portal:

In this article: 

• Odds to Draft Bronny James
• How tall is Bronny James?
• What happened to Bronny James?
• How Old is Bronny James?
• Bronny James College Stats

Odds to Draft Bronny James: Bet365 Odds for top NBA Candidates

Odds as of April 19th 2024. Odds may now differ. 

LA Lakers Odds to Draft Bronny James – 5.00

There have been rumors that LeBron could leave the Lakers, particularly if they flame out in the Playoffs again. Most reporters believe LeBron wants to stay in Los Angeles, though, and there’s almost no chance of him leaving the Lakers if Rob Pelinka selects Bronny in the Draft later this summer.

Los Angeles only has one pick in the 2024 Draft – the 55th selection from the Clippers. They are sending their first-round pick to New Orleans as a result of the Anthony Davis trade.

That pick is in the range where teams might take Bronny. It’s worth it for Pelinka if it keeps LeBron on the team. At the same time, do the title-contending Lakers want to use their only 2024 pick on a player so far from being NBA-ready?

Knicks Odds to Draft Bronny James – 9.00

Bronny’s skillset seems like a good fit with Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks. Defense, hustle, and energy are what the Knicks have built on in the Thibodeau era.

New York has three picks in the Draft. They are selecting 24th, 25th and 38th. It would be a big-time reach to take Bronny with any of those picks, but the 38th selection does allow them to swoop in before the Lakers can make a move.

With plenty of depth and two first-round picks, it’s easy to imagine a scenario where the Knicks’ front office takes a chance on Bronny with the 38th pick.

LeBron has made peace with CAA in recent years. Could he be tempted by a couple of seasons at Madison Square Garden to end his career?

Cavaliers Odds to Draft Bronny James – 13.00

Born in Akron a little over a year after LeBron was drafted, Bronny has close links to Cleveland. The prospect of LeBron returning to the Cavaliers again has been mooted at points over the last couple of years with the Cavs building a contender around Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen.

Cleveland is a long shot to draft Bronny. Their only pick in the Draft is the 20th selection. They could trade into the latter part of the second round, but do they want to risk such a distraction when the future of their team is in the balance?

It seems like an unnecessary risk for the Cavs unless they can get some assurance from LeBron that he will take a hefty pay cut to return to his home city.

Heat Odds to Draft Bronny James – 13.00

Would Pat Riley try to tempt LeBron into a reunion by drafting Bronny? We wouldn’t write anything off with the Miami Heat, and Bronny’s combination of defense and basketball IQ certainly fit under the leadership of Erik Spoelstra.

Miami has the 43rd pick in this summer’s Draft, which would allow them to swoop in before the Lakers.

It’s certainly a possibility that Miami takes Bronny. LeBron and Riley appear to have built bridges after their divorce in 2014. At the same time, would the Heat be so desperate to have LeBron back for the twilight of his career?

LA Clippers Odds to Draft Bronny James – 15.00

Selecting 47th in the Draft, the Clippers also have the chance to take Bronny before the Lakers do. It would be one way for the Clippers to put the cat amongst the pigeons in Los Angeles, even if they don’t have any ambitions to sign LeBron.

If they re-sign Paul George and James Harden, though, the Clippers will be desperate to add cheap, cost-controlled players. There is a chance they see Bronny as a useful end-of-the-bench piece, but that goes against what most Draft analysts project in his first year or two.

Bronny James Height – How tall is Bronny James?

Bronny James is 1.93 meters tall, which works out at about 6’4. He is considerably shorter than his Dad.

At his height, Bronny would be a backcourt player in the NBA. Tenacious defense is his greatest strength, but he is undersized for the NBA, with some reports claiming he is closer to 6’2.

His shot looks the part, but his numbers on catch-and-shoot attempts have been poor throughout his career to date.

What Happened to Bronny James?

Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout in July 2023. ESPN reported the following month that the cardiac arrest was ‘likely caused’ by a ‘congenital heart defect’.

The term refers to any abnormal heart structure present from birth. He was discharged from the hospital three days after the cardiac arrest.

A family spokesperson said, “It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated.

“We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball very soon. We will continue to provide updates to media and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy.”

Bronny was cleared to return to basketball in November 2023. In early December, he played his first game following the cardiac arrest, which happened to be his college debut.

How old is Bronny James?

Born on 6th October 2004, Bronny James is 19 years old.

There are several 2024 NBA Draft prospects who are younger than James, including Nikola Topic, Rob Dillingham, Zaccharie Risacher, and Ron Holland.

Bronny James College Stats 

Bronny James played for the USC Trojans in the 2023-24 college basketball season.

James started just six games and averaged under 20 minutes per contest while shooting poor marks from two and three-point range. He was also a subpar free-throw shooter.

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