Report: Warriors did LeBron James major favor during 2024 NBA Draft to ‘respect the wishes’ of Lakers star

The Golden State Warriors reportedly considered drafting LeBron James’ son Bronny with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

However, the Warriors — a franchise that the elder James has had a rivalry with during his career — apparently decided to pass on drafting the younger James, leaving the door open for the Los Angeles Lakers to draft him with the No. 55 overall pick.

“[J.J.] Redick was in the room when the Lakers made history and a dream into reality,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote.

“He stood next to [Rob] Pelinka as the Golden State Warriors, who had tried to trade for (the elder) James last season, weighed whether to take Bronny at No. 52. The Warriors liked Bronny’s skill set and had him on their draft board, sources said. Selecting him ahead of the Lakers, who held the 55th pick, would’ve been a shrewd move — perhaps even to entice (the elder) James to sign there as a free agent. But ultimately, sources said, the Warriors opted to respect the wishes (the elder) James had made clear and the Lakers signaled they would grant.”

The elder James and younger James are set to become the first father-son duo in NBA history to play in the league at the same time.

The younger James seemingly has the potential to be a productive rotation piece for an NBA team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, his quality of play across four games with the Lakers in Las Vegas Summer League suggested that he’ll need to fine-tune his offensive arsenal before he’ll be ready to play consistent minutes for Los Angeles.

The 19-year-old averaged only 8.8 points per game in Las Vegas, and his scoring efficiency also left much to be desired. The younger James shot 35.0 percent from the field and an abysmal 15.8 percent from 3-point range.

Unfortunately, the younger James might not be teammates with his father for a very long time. The elder James is the oldest player in the NBA, and he has played more than 20 seasons in the league. He will turn 40 in December.

What makes it especially interesting that the Warriors passed on the younger James in order to help grant the elder James’ wish is that the Cleveland Cavaliers — during the elder James’ second stint with them — fiercely battled the Warriors for NBA championships for a good chunk of the 2010s.

The Cavaliers and Warriors met in the NBA Finals in four consecutive years from 2015 through 2018, and Golden State won all but one of those four matchups. The Warriors came out on top in the 2015, 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, while the Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games after they faced a 3-1 deficit at one point.

The Warriors deserve praise for making a classy decision and allowing the younger James to team up with the elder James.