The Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James to form a father-son duo with future Hall of Famer LeBron James in the most monumental second-round pick in recent NBA history Thursday.
The guard from Southern California will join a Lakers team that’s hoping to convince LeBron James, 39, to finish his storied NBA career in purple and gold.
The younger James was picked 55th overall out of 58 picks in the two-round NBA draft. The second round was held on its own day for the first time this year.
Bronny James, 19, had private workouts with only two teams before the draft: the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. It was widely believed that the Lakers were planning to pair him with his father despite Bronny James’ one lackluster season of college basketball. He suffered cardiac arrest the July before his freshman season and only entered game action in December.
James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 25 college games (six starts).
University of San Francisco center Jonathan Mogbo was the first player off the board Thursday to the Toronto Raptors, who also took part in one of the handful of high-profile trades involving veteran players and picks.
The Raptors reportedly traded Jalen McDaniels to the Sacramento Kings for Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and the 45th overall selection. Toronto used that pick on Houston guard Jamal Shead.
The Denver Nuggets sent veteran guard Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets for three second-round picks, though none of those picks were 2024 selections.
The New York Knicks made multiple deals with the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns to position themselves for some highly productive college players. New York wound up with Marquette guard and former Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek at No. 34 overall and Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr. at No. 56.
Below are the complete results of the second round:
31. Raptors: Jonathan Mogbo, C, San Francisco
32. Jazz: Kyle Filipowski, F, Duke
33. Bucks: Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite
34. Knicks (via Trail Blazers): Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette
35. Pacers (via Spurs): Johnny Furphy, G, Kansas
36. Spurs (via Pacers): Juan Nunez, G, Spain
37. Pistons (via Timberwolves): Bobi Klintman, F, Sweden
38. Thunder (via Knicks): Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara
39. Grizzlies: Jaylen Wells, G, Washington State
40. Suns (via Trail Blazers): Oso Ighodaro, F, Marquette
41. 76ers: Adem Bona, C, UCLA
42. Hornets: KJ Simpson, G, Colorado
43. Hawks (via Heat): Nikola Djurisic, G, Serbia
44. Heat (via Rockets): Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona
45. Raptors (via Kings): Jamal Shead, G, Houston
46. Clippers: Cam Christie, G, Minnesota
47. Pelicans (via Magic): Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky
48. Spurs: Harrison Ingram, F, North Carolina
49. Pacers: Tristen Newton, G, UConn
50. Pacers: Enrique Freeman, F, Akron
51. Mavericks (via Knicks): Melvin Ajinca, S, France
52. Thunder (via Warriors): Quinten Post, C, Boston College
53. Grizzlies (via Timberwolves): Cam Spencer, G, UConn
54. Celtics: Anton Watson, F, Gonzaga
55. Lakers: Bronny James, G, Southern California
56. Knicks (via Suns): Kevin McCullar Jr., F, Kansas
57. Raptors (via Grizzlies): Ulrich Chomche, C, Cameroon
58. Mavericks: Ariel Hukporti, C, Germany
–Field Level Media
