Bronny James, the oldest child of LeBron James, has received medical clearance to be drafted by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel. The approval comes after a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect that resulted in a cardiac arrest incident during a workout with the University of Southern California in July 2023.
On Monday, ESPN reported that the NBA notified teams that Bronny James has been evaluated by three physicians, who unanimously approved him to participate in the pre-draft combine. This opportunity allows him to showcase his skills as a prospective draft pick for 2024.
Despite a shortened freshman season at USC due to heart issues, Bronny will partake in the combine’s five-on-five scrimmages starting Tuesday, offering NBA executives an opportunity for close assessment. He has also declared for the draft on June 27 while maintaining college eligibility.
Bronny has until May 29 to decide whether to remain in the draft or return to college. If he opts for another year of college basketball, he plans to look into the transfer portal for potential opportunities.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium was on The Pat McAfee Show, confirming new details about upcoming workouts for Bronny during the pre-combine scrimmages.
“At least two or three teams outside of just the [Los Angeles] Lakers that want to schedule workouts and have meetings with Bronny James,” he said in the video.
Bronny faces a series of challenging decisions regarding his athletic career, even as he navigates his options. In April, Blavity reported LeBron’s discussions with reporters concerning his son’s prospective future with the USC Trojans.
“I don’t know where it came from,” LeBron said about his son’s collegiate career, according to CBS Sports. “But at the end of the day, Bronny is his own man. 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.”