Basketball phenom Bronny James was truly tongue-tied when he met Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. James said he was starstruck to meet the NBA champion during a game at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles.
James said Curry came up to him to say hello, which moved him. The son of NBA great LeBron James is one of several players trying to find a home in the NBA this offseason. Bronny participated in the recent NBA Combine, playing in games and running drills along with dozens of other players.
Bronny’s performance at the NBA Combine
James entered the NBA Draft Combine under a cloud of doubts. This season didn’t go as expected for the young USC basketball player. James missed a significant amount of time due to a medical injury involving his heart. The Trojans had a losing season, and James was inefficient offensively. He finished his one season at USC averaging just under 5 points a game, and his minutes were limited due to his medical condition.
His performance at the NBA combine seemed to turn around some of the doubt. James finished the combine improving his draft stock, according to many NBA Draft analysts. James catapulted himself up to no. 58 in the draft rankings, per ESPN, after entering the combine at a spot barely in the Top 100. James is now considered to be a late second-round NBA draft selection, and several teams including the Warriors may make a run for him.
It isn’t certain though that James will be drafted at all, due to his production this past season. Bronny’s father LeBron James has expressed interest in playing alongside his son, and the Los Angeles Lakers have said they are interested in grabbing Bronny if it means they can keep LeBron. Lebron was also present at the combine to watch his son.
Warriors season for Stephen Curry
One other potential landing spot for Bronny is at Golden State with Stephen Curry. The Warriors are used to being one of the best teams in the NBA’s Western Conference, but this year didn’t go according to plan. The team lost early in the NBA playoffs, in a play-in game to the Sacramento Kings. The team didn’t even get to play a full series. That’s not acceptable for Curry or Warriors fans.
Curry had another solid season of production. The guard averaged 26 points, while shooting 41 percent from the three-point line. He has spent his entire career in Golden State, playing for the Warriors for the last 16 years. It is great to see a veteran like Curry show some love to a young player trying to break into the league. Curry may see himself as a potential mentor for Bronny if he joins the team.
The NBA Draft is June 26 and 27 in Brooklyn, New York. Draft boards don’t currently have Bronny going to the Warriors, at time of writing.