LeBron James Got Very Emotional When Bronny Was Drafted By The Los Angeles Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft and over 20 years later, he witnessed his eldest son Bronny James get drafted.

Bronny was selected with the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and Dave McMenamin revealed on ESPN’s coverage that LeBron got very emotional at that moment.

“I’m told that the James family and some of their closest friends and confidants, including Rich Paul, of course, Gloria James, LeBron’s mother, and Savannah’s parents as well, gathered for an intimate dinner in New York City today,” McMenamin said. “To await what was gonna happen with the second round.

“When they got the call from the Lakers, LeBron James had a champagne toast to everyone there,” McMenamin continued.

I’m told it was less than 20 people, and sources tell me he got very emotional in considering the weight of the moment. Not just the history for the NBA, the first time you have a father-son duo playing together, and not just the history for the James family being that father and son duo, but really the journey for Bronny James.

“You think back, it’s less than a year ago last July where he suffered that cardiac incident and that was a very serious time, very touch and go for the James family,” McMenamin stated. “And here they are together, having one of the most joyous days they’ve ever experienced with Bronny being able to complete his goal of playing in the NBA.”

It was on July 24, 2023, that the James household received news that threatened to turn their world upside down. Bronny had suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice session at USC but fortunately, the medical staff there were able to treat him and then take him to a hospital. His condition was soon declared stable, but there was no guarantee he’d be able to play competitive basketball again.

Bronny was back on the court by the end of the year, though, as he made his debut for USC on Dec. 10. That was a momentous occasion, as was this one on Thursday.

It is completely understandable that LeBron would get a bit overwhelmed by emotion to see Bronny have his name called after everything that had happened. On top of all that, they are also the first father-son duo to be teammates and will share the court at some point next season, provided the 39-year-old re-signs with the Lakers.

I have a hard time picturing LeBron leaving the Lakers after they drafted Bronny. It was widely reported that the 20-time All-Star would opt out of his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25 and then sign a new contract with the franchise and I expect him to do just that.

In the meantime, LeBron is just celebrating Bronny accomplishing this goal of his. He shared various stories on Instagram after the conclusion of the draft, with the first being a post from Nike.