The NBA and NBPA agreed to some major changes to the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) recently. Among many other things, fans will now witness an in-season tournament that could start as soon as November 2023. But there is another report that came to light along with the others, and that could be more important than anticipated.
The NBA world will be aware of the fact that there have been rumors about a decrease in the minimum age for the NBA Draft. Right now, players have to be at least 19 years old to be eligible for the NBA Draft. There were speculations since 2022 that this could be brought down to 18 years. However, it looks like that will not be the case.
Lowering the minimum age to enter the NBA Draft is no longer a part of league’s labor talks with the NBPA, clearing way for the ‘one-and-done’ era, per @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/0if0DxRFHU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 31, 2023
It has been revealed recently that there will be no changes made to the minimum age requirement. This will be a huge blow for Bronny James, who has been eager to play in one of the biggest sporting leagues in the world.
When will Bronny James be eligible for the NBA Draft?
Bronny is currently 18 years old, which indicates that he could have benefited the most if there was a change in the minimum age requirement. However, now that it stays the same, LeBron James’ son will be eligible for the NBA Draft in 2024. Bronny’s future remains a huge question mark as he hasn’t chosen a college as of April 2023.
There’s another reason why the latest news is bad for LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has reiterated on multiple occasions that his biggest goal right now is to play alongside his son Bronny. Recently, he said that Bronny was number one on the list of players that he wants to play with.
“Bronny is No. 1 on my f–king list.”
-LeBron on who he wants to play with the most 👀
(via @TheShopUN @uninterrupted)pic.twitter.com/UpaNewdAPu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 31, 2023
LeBron has one year left on his contract, he will become a free agent next year in 2025. With retirement looming, he doesn’t have much time to play with Bronny. In addition to that, a recent draft projection predicted that the Orlando Magic could draft Bronny while his dad is still playing.
Whatever the case, Bronny will not be able to enter the NBA until next year. It would be intriguing for fans to see if LeBron’s biggest dream to date remains a dream.