On the day that LeBron James signs a two-year, $104M max contract with the Lakers, Bronny James also inked his first pro deal.
Of course, Bronny is already a millionaire despite only playing one abbreviated season at USC, ranked No. 1 among the nation’s top 10 highest NIL valuations at $7.2M ranks No. 1 among nation’s top 10 highest NIL valuations.
In addition, his Dad has amassed over $500M as an NBA player and nearly as much as a businessman.
It still must have been very satisfying for the James family to be in attendance while Bronny inked his first deal.
Lakers Pay Bronny James $8M Over Four Years
Throughout all of the criticism, the Lakers and head coach JJ Redick haVe never wavered from the fact that Bronny earned his selection and exhibits the skills and characteristics of a player they want to invest in developing
That development will cost them close to $8M, as Bronny has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $7.9 million deal with a team option of the fourth year, according to ESPN.
“Bronny has earned this through hard work… There’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick reiterated at the presser.
Bronny was taken with the 55th selection of last week’s NBA draft by his father’s Lakers despite what some would call a very pedestrian season coming off the bench at USC.
But all of the noise, reactions and opinions have not stopped him from getting paid and landing comfortably in an organization that promises to make him their first case study in the Lakers’ new player development direction.
Bronny said in his presser on Tuesday that one of the things that attracted him to the Lakers’ organization
“[Lakers GM] Rob [Pelinka] has told me that this is a great development system here. So I want to just come in and get my work in every day,” Bronny said.
Bronny Is Lakers’ First Test Case For Player Development
With the collective bargaining agreement changing the dynamic of the way contracts are dispersed and limiting how much money and or resources a team can commit to stockpiling high-priced free agents, developing draft picks becomes more of a priority for franchises moving forward. There is a new set of rules, created nearly 18 months ago when the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified, that are taking effect this summer.
These new rules are designed to put clamps on combining player acquisition with heavy spending. You can still do one or the other but it’s now much more complicated to do both.
In Bronny’s case, none of these new rules will affect him now and unlike most second round draft picks, he’s got $8M worth of security, even if his career flops. The Lakers and his dad, LeBron, are doing everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Where Can We See Bronny James?
Bronny will be on the Lakers roster for California Classic NBA Summer League, which will take place from July 3 to July 5 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. We can also catch Bronny in the Las Vegas NBA Summer League. The annual summer showcase in Las Vegas featuring all 30 teams will run from July 12-22 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. All 76 games airing live on ESPN platforms or NBA TV.
