Bettors pile cash on Lakers’ Bronny James to win Rookie of the Year

Despite his draft placement and college numbers, sports bettors are putting their money on Bronny James to be the NBA Rookie of the Year by the end of next season. 

On June 27, the Los Angeles Lakers selected LeBron James‘ junior with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft – making them the first father and son tandem in the league. 

Nearly a week after his selection, BetMGM told the New York Post that James (250/1) has received a third of the bets on the Rookie of the Year market – doubling the second-most bet-on option in Zach Edey of the Memphis Grizzlies (16 per cent). 

The outrageous number of wagers for James to win the award resulted in 17.5 per cent of the handle, the second-most behind Edey’s 51.3 per cent. 

While the sportsbook wouldn’t disclose the amounts put on the wagers, the chance of them hitting is more unlikely. 

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The purple and gold drafted James after his lone season at the University of Southern California. 

As a freshman, the former Sierra Canyon star played in 25 games and made six starts for the Trojans. James averaged only 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as his team finished with a 15-18 record, placing ninth in the Pac-12. 

Besides his none-NBA numbers, James is likely to sit below guards D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, and perhaps even Cam Reddish and Jalen Hood-Schifino, on the Lakers’ depth chart.

However, should James prove to be a second-round steal in an otherwise lackluster draft class, he would be the lowest draft pick to win ROTY honors. The record is currently held by Malcolm Brogdon, who won the award in 2017 after being drafted with the 36th pick. 

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Additionally, in the 1950s, two players were named Rookie of the Year after being undrafted – Monk Meineke in 1953 and Elgin Baylor in 1959. 

‘Our biggest liability is Bronny,’ BetMGM’s Christian Cipollini told Vegas Insider. ‘It’s the first time we’ve seen something like this, where the public is all over a late second-round pick.’

Both father and son secured deals with the Lakers on Tuesday with LeBron inking a two-year, $104million extension. On the other hand, Bronny will reportedly sign a four-year, $7.9m rookie deal. 

‘I feel like I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at SC,’ James said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.  ‘I’m excited for what is to come.’