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[Saba Sports News] The Los Angeles Lakers picked Bronny James with the 55th overall selection in the NBA Draft last week, securing his roster spot. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Bronny is set to sign a multi-year guaranteed rookie contract with the Lakers, ensuring he starts his professional career in the NBA rather than the developmental league. Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, confirmed weeks ago that a two-way contract, which would split his time between the G-League and the NBA, was never an option.
With Bronny’s guaranteed rookie contract, he and LeBron James are poised to become the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together. Although Bronny, LeBron, and Paul downplayed LeBron’s influence on Bronny’s draft position, reports suggest some level of manipulation, including a claim that Paul threatened teams about drafting Bronny.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that Bronny averaged just 4.8 points per game as a freshman at USC and is not considered an above-average NBA prospect. Any other team might have preferred him to develop in the G-League, but LeBron and Paul used their influence to prevent that.