BRONNY JAMES CONTRACT DETAILS EMERGE AS LOS ANGELES LAKERS ICON'S SON SIGNS WITH TEAM
The contract details of Bronny James' multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers have been unveiled.
James is on track to make NBA history by becoming part of the first father-son duo to play together in the league, alongside his legendary dad LeBron. The Lakers rookie had to bide his time in the draft as he was picked at No. 55.
The 19 year old put pen to paper on his fully guaranteed contract with the team on Wednesday, the same day that LeBron agreed a £81million extension with Los Angeles after previously opting out of his option clause in his previous contract.
ESPN reports that Bronny's contract is a four-year £6.1m deal worth under £940,000 in the first year before increasing year on year to just shy of £1.95m for a team option in the 2027/28 season. These figures are astronomical when compared to the salary earned by last year's 55th overall pick, Gui Santos, who signed a contract worth just £58,000.
The rookie played for USC Trojans basketball last year and could step into the NBA following just one year of limited game time playing collegiately. Bronny averaged 4.8 points on 36.6 per cent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in only six starts at USC upon making his comeback from a heart procedure last summer after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a team workout. He and No.
17 draft pick Dalton Knecht made their summer league debuts on Saturday in San Francisco against the Sacramento Kings in the California Classic. And the young talent has certainly caught the eye at the Lakers, with Rob Pelinka, the team's vice president of basketball operations and general manager, commending his attitude and promise. The Lakers' new coach, JJ Reddick, has been vocal about James Jr.'s importance within the team's overhauled development strategy.
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"Bronny has earned this. Bronny talks about his hard work. Bronny has earned this through hard, hard work," Reddick enthused. "For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as Case Study 1, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack defender, shooting, passing. There's a lot to like about his game and we sort of build out our player development program holistically, he's going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player."
With the Lakers' squad now at the full complement of 15 players that an NBA team is allowed, Bronny faces a stiff competition to make it into the regular rotation. The roster includes guards Cam Reddish, Max Christie, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, and Jalen Hood-Schifino, who was last year's first-round draft pick.
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2024-07-05T04:04:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd