The latest Bronny James draft odds across our best NBA betting sites project the USC guard to be a second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft with the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorites to draft him.
For months, the 2024 NBA Draft has been widely considered one of the worst in recent memory. And nothing typifies that more than the wide range of projections for Bronny James in the latest NBA Draft odds.
As of Thursday afternoon,
LeBron James' son is a heavy favorite to be drafted 55th or worse across our best sports betting sites. That makes sense given that the 6-foot-1, 210-pound guard averaged just 4.8 points in 19.3 minutes in his lone season at USC.
Even so, he's one of a handful of players you can bet to go No. 1 overall – which casual bettors have done so much that he's the biggest liability across most of our best sportsbooks to be the first name called when the first round begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
Many of the top teams by the NBA championship odds are among the favorites to draft James, with the Los Angeles Lakers fittingly the favorites to select their star's son. Will that become a reality, or will another team derail LeBron's long-standing dream?
Bronny James 2024 NBA Draft odds
There are so many markets surrounding Bronny James' draft position in the 2024 NBA Draft that it's liable to make your head spin.
Heading into the 2023 college basketball season, James seemed like a surefire bet to be a lottery pick based almost entirely on his lineage and the potential that his dad would follow through on his years-long commitment to play with his son.
Then the younger James slogged through a difficult freshman season at USC, where he overcame a scary heart issue to play fewer than 20 minutes per game for a team that opened the year in the top 25 and ultimately didn't even make the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, that hasn't stopped bettors from wishcasting the former Trojan into the lottery – or even higher. In the days leading into the 2024 NBA Draft, James was the biggest liability to be the No. 1 overall pick with roughly 25% of all bet slips in the top pick market.
That won't happen; you can safely bet on that. But where will Jame s ultimately land, and which team will be the one to take a shot on the polarizing guard?
Which team will draft Bronny James in 2024 NBA Draft?
NBA draft odds from our best sports betting apps as of June 26 | ?? = best odds | ?? = worst odds
| Team | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakers | -135 ?? | -160 | -160 | -160 |
| Suns | +700 | +750 ?? | +700 | +650 ?? |
| Mavericks | +900 | +900 | +900 | +800 ?? |
| Timberwolves | +1000 | +1500 ?? | +1100 | +900 ?? |
| Raptors | +1100 | +1500 ?? | +1100 | +900 ?? |
| Jazz | +2500 | +3000 ?? | +2500 | +2800 |
| Cavaliers | +2500 | +3000 ?? | +2500 | +2800 |
| Knicks | +2500 | +3000 | +3000 | +2800 |
| 76ers | +3000 | +4000 | +2200 ?? | +4000 |
| Clippers | +3000 ?? | +4800 | +3500 | +5000 ?? |
As a way to exercise leverage and potentially pump James' draft stock, agent Rich Paul only had his client work out for two teams: the Los Angeles Lakers (-135) and Phoenix Suns (+750). So it's no surprise to see those teams trading as the favorites in this market.
Perhaps the only surprise is the gap between those two. Sure, Los Angeles is the obvious front-runner with LeBron's looming free agency hanging over the organization. The Lakers remain the favorites by the latest LeBron James next team odds, though a key reason could be because they're widely expected to take his son in the draft.
Here's the issue: they only own the No. 17 and No. 55 picks in the NBA Draft. Will they take Bronny with the 17th pick? Probably not. And if they don't, does that open the door for another team to foil their plans before he reaches the 55th pick?
The Suns are cap-strapped and own a comically small war chest of picks, so their options to add talent are limited. Could a swing on James be their best chance of luring a potential star to the desert – or even to pry a nice role player from their Pacific Division rivals?
I'd also keep my eye on the Philadelphia 76ers (+4000), who have a ton of cap space and appear hell-bent on using it to attract a third star alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. At the very least, a late pick on James could force the Lakers into a tricky spot, as LeBron would be free to play with his son and still get paid handsomely to do so.
In the end, I think the Lakers are still the likeliest bet, and their -135 odds represent a 57.45% implied probability and would profit $7.41 on a $10 bet per our odds converter. Yet I'd be targeting another team in this market given the odds. My favorite bet remains the Suns given all the smoke, as it doesn't feel like the market has fully appreciated their interest in the much-ballyhooed prospect.
Prediction: Phoenix Suns (+750 via FanDuel)
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Bronny James O/U draft position
| Draft position | DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 54.5 | -165 | -136 | -155 | -160 | -160 |
| Under 54.5 | +130 | +102 | +120 | +120 | +130 |
James' draft position was projected to be somewhere between 41.5 and 45.5 just a few days ago and as high as 47.5 this morning. That number has plummeted in the hours before tonight's draft with all of our best live betting sites offering a total of 54.5 with the Over heavily juiced.
Obviously, that number is intentional: the Lakers, who are the prohibitive favorites to draft LeBron's son, own the No. 55 pick in the draft and seem to be a reasonable bet for his floor in this draft. They also own the No. 17 pick, though even the biggest Bronny-to-LA conspiracy theorists have to concede that feels high for the USC product.
It does seem plausible that James could fall to 55th, though at these odds, I don't hate the idea that a team could take a shot on him with a pick in the 40s – either for their own benefit or to force the Lakers to give up tangible assets to pair father and son on the court.
Prediction: Under 54.5 (+130 via bet365)
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Will Bronny James be drafted in 1st round?
| Sportsbook | Yes | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | +200 | 33.33% |
| FanDuel | +750 | 11.76% |
| BetMGM | +220 | 31.25% |
| bet365 | +250 | 28.57% |
As discussed above, James does not have the profile of a first-round pick. That hasn't stopped sportsbooks from pricing him as a potential candidate to sneak into the top 30 picks.
That isn't out of the question given all of the smoke (and politics) around a team drafting him early. An outside chance at luring a generational player to your franchise could be worth spending a late first-round pick in a draft that is conceivably light on difference-makers, even if the prospect himself isn't necessarily worthy of the selection.
There are two problems with that logic. For one, agent Rich Paul has poured water on the idea that LeBron and Bronny are a package deal, which has been the prevailing notion for years. Also, while this draft is certainly lacking the top-end talent of previous years, some believe the back-end of this first round could be just as loaded with meaningful rotation guys as any other class.
That puts even more pressure and risk on a team that spends a first-round pick – and the four-year guaranteed contract that comes with it – on a fringe prospect with limited production and a worrisome medical history.
Because of that, we wouldn't recommend betting on James to be a first-round pick. If you do, though, be sure to place that bet at FanDuel, where his +750 odds would return a $75 profit on a $10 bet. At those odds, I can't blame anyone for taking a shot.
Be st odds: +750 via FanDuel
More Bronny James draft odds, betting markets
| Sportsbook | Odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | +30000 | 0.33% |
| FanDuel | +30000 | 0.33% |
| BetMGM | +30000 | 0.33% |
| Caesars | +30000 | 0.33% |
| bet365 | +20000 | 0.50% |
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| Sportsbook | Odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | +7500 | 1.32% |
| FanDuel | +10000 | 0.99% |
| BetMGM | +10000 | 0.99% |
| Caesars | +6000 | 1.64% |
| bet365 | +4000 | 2.44% |
| Sportsbook | Odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | +2900 | 3.33% |
| BetMGM | +3000 | 3.23% |
| bet365 | +3300 | 2.94% |
| Band | FanDuel | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| Picks 1-30 | +500 | 16.67% |
| Picks 31-35 | +1000 | 9.09% |
| Picks 36-40 | +1000 | 9.09% |
| Picks 41-45 | +1100 | 8.33% |
| Picks 46-50 | +1200 | 7.69% |
| Picks 51-55 | -155 | 60.78% |
| Picks 56-58 | +1400 | 6.67% |
| Conference | FanDuel | BetMGM |
|---|---|---|
| Western Conference | -520 | -650 |
| Eastern Conference | +350 | +400 |
| Division | FanDuel | BetMGM |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Division | -162 | -175 |
| Northwest Division | +560 | +600 |
| Atlantic Division | +700 | +700 |
| Southwest Division | +870 | +900 |
| Central Division | +1100 | +1100 |
| Southeast Division | +1500 | +1500 |
Bronny James draft projection, mock draft predictions
Here's a look at the latest Bronny James draft projections as of Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before the start of the 2024 NBA Draft:
| Publication | Draft pick | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Bleacher Report | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| CBS Sports | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| ESPN | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| The Athletic | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| The Ringer | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Yahoo! Sports | No. 55 | Los Angeles Lakers |
2024 NBA Draft order for 1st round
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hawks |
| 2 | Wizards |
| 3 | Rockets (from Nets) |
| 4 | Spurs |
| 5 | Pistons |
| 6 | Hornets |
| 7 | Trail Blazers |
| 8 | Spurs (from Raptors) |
| 9 | Grizzlies |
| 10 | Jazz |
| 11 | Bulls |
| 12 | Thunder (from Rockets) |
| 13 | Kings |
| 14 | Trail Blazers (from Warriors) |
| 15 | Heat |
| 16 | 76ers |
| 17 | Lakers |
| 18 | Magic |
| 19 | Raptors (from Pacers) |
| 20 | Cavaliers |
| 21 | Pelicans (from Bucks) |
| 22 | Suns |
| 23 | Bucks (from Pelicans) |
| 24 | Knicks (from Mavericks) |
| 25 | Knicks |
| 26 | Wizards (from Clippers) |
| 27 | Timberwolves |
| 28 | Nuggets |
| 29 | Jazz (from Thunder) |
| 30 | Celtics |
How to watch the 2024 NBA Draft
- When: Wednesday, June 26 (first round)
- Start: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
- How to watch: ESPN, ABC
NBA draft FAQs
France's Zaccharie Risacher is the favorites to be selected No. 1 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Risacher's shortest odds are -430, which imply a 81.13% probability he'll go No. 1
The first round of the NBA draft on Wednesday, June 26, will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Thursday's second round will be held at ESPN's Seaport District Studios in New York.
The Atlanta Hawks hold the first pick of the NBA draft after winning the NBA draft lottery.
The Los Angeles Lakers hold the No. 17 pick and No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
James, the son of LeBron Ja mes has been projected to fall as far as the second round, though the potential to lure his father as a package deal could bump him into the first round. His draft position Over/Under is set at 54.5 in the hours before the first round.
We've never seen a father and son play together in the NBA at the same time, though we've seen plenty of NBA stars whose children eventually forged their own path to the league. We've also never seen father and son play together on the same team, which could happen if the Los Angeles Lakers draft Bronny James.
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