USC freshman guard Bronny James will enter the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and will also enter the transfer portal, he said Friday on Instagram.
James had been expected to have a major impact on USC after earning McDonald’s All-American honors in high school, but a July cardiac arrest episode and a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect sidelined him for five months and severely impacted his productivity as a freshman at USC.
In the aftermath of the cardiac arrest and heart procedure, James will need to be evaluated and approved by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel before he can become eligible to participate in team workouts, the Draft Combine in May or be selected in the draft. He can conduct interviews with teams without the medical clearance.
The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement requires that players invited to the Chicago draft combine must participate in the scouting event for teams and submit to a physical.
The pre-draft plan will be for James to meet with targeted teams for workouts and interviews prior to the June 16 deadline to stay in the draft and find out whether there’s a potential developmental situation — regardless of draft position — that would make sense for him to stay in the draft.