Australia’s NBL pitches for NBA star LeBron James and son Bronny to play together down under
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The possibility of NBA star LeBron James and his son Bronny linking up with the Australian National Basketball League has come one step closer to becoming a reality.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman has confirmed that the league has held preliminary discussions with the James family about the possibility of teen star Bronny playing in Australia this year.
The NBL has become a breeding ground for NBA talent in recent years through its Next Star program, which allows young players to compete against men and get paid, unlike the US college system. USA
LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr of Sierra Canyon High School with his father LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers after the Ohio Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic
It’s a program that has seen the likes of LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, RJ Hampton and Ousmane Dieng become top draft picks and NBA stars.
Kestelman has been the driving force behind the NBL’s renaissance after it came perilously close to collapse some 15 years ago.
He has engineered the return of the Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets along with the new Tasmania franchise, with more new teams on the horizon.
Josh Giddey is in devastating shape for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA and his journey began in the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers (pictured) as part of the Next Star program.
LaMelo Ball was the first high-profile American talent to bypass the US college system, instead playing one season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia’s National Basketball League.
The Kings v New Zealand Breakers match at the Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday night drew a crowd of over 14,000.
Bronny, 18, is a high school senior at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles and will need a gap year before being eligible for the NBA draft.
Kestelman has already begun the process of trying to lure him and his famous father to Australia.
“We’ve absolutely contacted each other and there’s the beginning of a conversation, but it’s too early,” Kestelman said. news corporation.
“It would be awesome to see not just him, but I know there was a conversation about him and LeBron playing a season together.
It’s a long shot, but the conversation has started and we’ll be in the mix.
LeBron James has long signaled his intention to play one season with his son Bronny before retiring. While it is likely that he will be in the NBA, the door is wide open for James Snr to play in the NBL.
Bronny James in action against Christopher Columbus during a high school basketball game at the Hoophall Classic
Sydney Kings owner Paul Smith signaled his intention to lure the James family to the port city last March, saying the Kings were the only destination for the NBA superstar and his rising star son.
“There’s only one city that’s big enough for LeBron and Bronny, and that’s Sydney,” Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald in March.
‘We filled 18,000 seats every week.
“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen as a package, and as he’s made clear to the NBA, if you pick my guy, I’m in. It’s a two-for-one deal,” he said.
‘we would fill [Qudos Bank Arena] 19 times per season. We could probably fill it in for practice as well. He’ll be at the point where he’d just sell bar tickets that wouldn’t even get him into the arena.
James has signaled his desire to play at least one season in the NBA with his son before he retires.
While there’s a long shot that James will opt to play Australia with Bronny, that would be unlikely as the duo is likely to come together in 2024 when their son is drafted.
“I need to be on the court with my son, I have to be on the court with Bronny, whether it’s in the same uniform or a matchup against him,” James said in an interview.
‘My last year I will play it with my son. Wherever Bronny is, there I will be. I would do anything to play with my son for a year. It’s not about the money at the time,’ he said in another