USC Basketball: Experts, Fans React To Bronny James NBA, Transfer Portal News

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 7, 2024

Mar 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) pulls down a rebound. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

USC Trojans freshman combo reserve guard Bronny James, son of 20-time NBA All-Star LeBron James (who plays just down the street from Bronny with the Los Angeles Lakers) practically broke the internet this week when he announced his intention to explore the NBA draft. He's also maintaining the option to return to the NCAA. It appears that he won't be doing that in the Cardinal and Gold, as he has announced his choice to enter the NCAA's transfer portal.

Now, the basketball world is weighing in on the 19-year-old Sierra Canyon product's big decision.

Underdog's Josiah Johnson gave us a nice "Power" reference:

LeBron waking Bronny up for the first day of Lakers training camp next season pic.twitter.com/aOXotG4qnY

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) April 5, 2024

One Lakers fan is already envisioning a world where Bronny James makes the team in 2024-25, one way or another (either in the draft or as an undrafted two-way player, presumably, as he is no longer generally considered a top-60 draft among this year's crop):

Bronny coming back to the bench after using up all of Max Christie’s minutes: pic.twitter.com/ubP9E5D7I9

— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) April 5, 2024

The Atlantic's Jemele Hill weighed in on the news. She appears to be a fan of its flexibility:

For one, Bronny is 18-19 and while not grown-grown, I’m sure he’s more than capable of understanding what’s best for his life. He’s left himself multiple options — getting an honest evaluation from NBA scouts, getting drafted by the NBA, or playing college ball. If you have a… https://t.co/yqhx4X6qDZ

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 5, 2024

StatMuse doesn't seem too excited about the raw guard's viability as a legitimate draft candidate, at least this year, and put his performance in perspective with (fittingly) some basic stats:

Bronny James as a freshman:

4.8 PPG
2.8 RPG
2.1 APG
37/27/68%

How high is he going in the 2024 draft? pic.twitter.com/sWQDfSxv7w

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 5, 2024

Not everyone agrees with StatMuse's apparent skepticism. Former NBA All-Star and championship-winning point guard Jeff Teague explained how he sees Bronny James' game translating better to the pros than it has in college.

Jeff Teague is 100% correct about Bronny pic.twitter.com/ueb5fw1oAm

— Deuce (@DeuceThomas) April 5, 2024