LeBron & Bronny James Could Double The Value Of An NBA Franchise In 2024

If and when LeBron and Bronny James team up in 2024, it could double the value of an NBA franchise, one industry expert says.

“Assuming it’d be a middle-of-the-road team that drafts high enough to pick Bronny and then signs dad, their franchise value could jump as much as 50%,” Pinnacle Advertising Creative Director, Bob Dorfman said.

Bronny James, a 6-foot-3 senior guard at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, is now projected as the No. 10 pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2024 Draft, per ESPN.com. It’s impossible to know at this point which team will draft or sign Bronny, but just as an example, the Magic are the 24th most valuable NBA franchise at $1.875 billion, per Forbes.

“A franchise like Orlando could double their $1.85 billion value practically overnight,” Dorfman said.

LeBron, who recently passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, agreed last August to a 2-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers, with a player option for 2024-25, when he will turn 40.

Depending on which team drafts or signs Bronny, LeBron could then sign with that team. If the deal was for a veteran’s minimum, or otherwise relatively inexpensive contract, that team could then have cap space to sign other top players who might want to team up with LeBron. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving are examples of superstars who wanted to play alongside James at various points in their careers.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy,” LeBron told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin last month. “I gotta be on the floor with Bronny.”

Keep in mind that Bronny James’s NIL value was recently placed at $7.5 million by On3Sports, twice as much as the next closest athlete, quarterback Arch Manning. Bronny has more than 12 million social media followers and deals with Beats by Dre and Nike.

“The marketing implications are Brontastic,” Dorfman said of Bronny and LeBron teaming up. “The franchise value of the team that lands them will skyrocket, their games will become must-see events that command huge ticket prices and prime-time viewing slots, and they could quickly turn into a playoff powerhouse.

“Obviously, much depends on LeBron’s longevity and Bronny’s potential, but the possibilities are mind-boggling. And LeBron could always transition to player-coach, guiding his son to superstardom.”

Whenever he retires, James has said he wants to be part of the ownership group that brings an NBA team to Las Vegas.

Could Bronny one day end up playing for a franchise in Sin City that’s partly owned by his dad? Anything’s possible.

“I would love to bring a team here at some point. That would be amazing,” LeBron said last October following a Lakers preseason game in Las Vegas. “I know (NBA commissioner) Adam (Silver) is in Abu Dhabi right now… but he probably sees every single interview and transcript that comes through from NBA players. So, I want the team here, Adam. Thank you.”

On an episode of The Shop: Uninterrupted on HBO last year, James was talking about his desire to own an NBA team and said, “I want a team in Vegas. I want the team in Vegas.”

As for the nearer term, it seems clear that Bronny’s draft stock is on the rise even though he’s not a dominant high school player and is nowhere near as athletic as his father, one of the greatest ever.

“Bronny James is improving at a rate that I haven’t seen from any player in this glass,” ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony said on air this week.

“I’ve been watching him since he was a freshman in high school and every time I see him, he’s a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, a little bit more explosive. His shooting has improved, his ball-handling is getting better, he’s a tremendous teammate. He’s an outstanding connector.

“We’re not talking about a guy who’s going to be an All-Star, in my opinion, like his father. You’re looking at a De’Anthony Melton, Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday-type player, a phenomenal role player who impacts winning at the highest level.”

One NBA scout who has followed Bronny for several years concurred with Givony’s take.

“I’m not counting him out” as a lottery pick,” the scout said. “I know some folks took it as outlandish that he was in a Top 10 mock draft but if you throw in how he’s gotten better and better over the past few years, the bloodlines, what seems to be a rock solid human being, and the politics of who his dad is and what it means if you draft him, it doesn’t sound as laughable as it seems.

“Throw in how down the 2024 draft could be if things remain how they look right now and I wouldn’t be entirely surprised by the entire situation if it played out that way.”

And if LeBron is willing to sign on relatively cheap with whatever team drafts his son, the scout said, it “only enhances the value of drafting Bronny.”