Bronny James sees projected NBA salary take major hit after draft snub

LeBron James‘ son Bronny was given the cold shoulder in the first round of this week’s NBA Draft – a snub which will impact his first pro salary significantly.

Despite being the offspring of one of the greatest players in history, Bronny failed to land a team on the draft’s opening night Wednesday.

The 19-year-old and his entourage were nowhere to be seen as the first 30 selections were made in Brooklyn, with LeBron’s LA Lakers deciding against using their pick to bring in his eldest boy.

He is expected to be chosen in the second round of the draft on Thursday night, though it remains to be seen which team puts their faith in him.

Unlike in the first round, being picked at this stage does not come with a guaranteed specific contract figure based on the draft slot, meaning Bronny will have to negotiate his own terms.

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Yet while his projected salary has undoubtedly taken a hit, the former USC Trojans guard can still land a rewarding package if previous years are anything to go by.

Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was the next to last pick in the second round of the 2023 draft, but the team still signed him to a four-year, $7.6million contract which included $3m in guaranteed money.

Jackson-Davis had a $1.1m salary in his rookie season and will see that figure rise to $2.4m in the 2026-27 season.

Nevertheless, second-round status does mean Bronny will be taking home a lot less than this year’s first-round picks.

The No. 1 selection reportedly lands a four-year, $57m deal, which comes with a $12.6m rookie salary for 2024-25, according to Spotrac. 

Should the Lakers have opted to take him with their 17th pick, Bronny would have received a four-year, $18.5m contract and a $3.8m salary in 2024-25.

The last first-round pick, meanwhile, is projected to earn $12.8m across a four-year period. 

Instead of drafting Bronny, the Lakers selected Dalton Knecht, out of Tennessee, with the 17th pick. Bronny’s college teammate at Southern California, Isaiah Collier, was also drafted in the first round (No. 29) by the Utah Jazz.

Bronny is considered a likely second-round pick after his freshman season at USC was delayed by an off-season cardiac arrest. The 6-foot-2 combo guard returned under doctor supervision to average 4.8 points and 2.8 assists per game in 25 appearances. 

LA’s move in the draft will certainly be interesting to analyze in the coming days as the 39-year-old LeBron has until Saturday to ponder a $51.4million player option in his current deal.

According to ESPN, the Lakers are ‘committed to re-signing James’ and are willing to offer him the full three-year max contract ($162million) he is eligible for this summer.

James, who is expected to opt out of his current contract, will play onto the age of 42 in the NBA if he extends his stay in LA.