July 24 was a dark day in the James household. LeBron James‘ eldest son, Bronny, went into cardiac arrest during a training session at the University of Southern California. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with an “anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect.” The 19-year-old then underwent surgery to correct the issue, which caused him to miss nearly four months of action before debuting in December. Despite just recovering from a life-threatening injury scare, Bronny has caught a lot of flak—an unnecessary amount at this point—for his relatively underwhelming freshman season at USC.

However, former NBA player Mark Jackson came to Bronny’s defense amid the growing scrutiny to give the kid his flowers. In the recent episode of The Mark Jackson Show, the New York Knicks legend said, “At the end of the day, he’s making a bunch of money in the NIL. He’s extremely successful…But I think the most important thing is he’s still alive, he’s breathing and chasing a dream. I think it’s a heck of a story and a tremendous story that one day will be covered the right way.”

The criticism surrounding Bronny’s season only grew stronger once ESPN excluded him from their 2024 mock drafts. This led several to advise Bronny to stay in college another year to develop his skills before entering the league. However, Jackson holds a different view. According to him, the best place for younger James to grow would be the NBA. “The best position for him to get better is to be on one of these NBA teams and work out every single day and get better,” pointed out the former NBA coach. He further went on to add that this could be a mutually beneficial deal for any team that drafts him.

Mark Jackson makes a compelling case for Bronny James to enter the league in 2024

Over the past couple of years, LeBron James has consistently been vocal about his desire to play with his son. The 39-year-old has even planned it all out, with a player option that coincides with Bronny’s potential draft year. However, things get complicated when Bronny does not enter the league next year. But it does not have to be this complicated. Any team would jump at the chance of drafting Bronny, considering the packaged deal with Papa James. If Bronny gets drafted next season, then James gets his dream, Bronny gets to debut in the league, and the team that drafted him gets LeBron. A win-win situation for everybody involved.

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Therefore, Mark explains, “I’m the Brooklyn Nets or I’m the Golden State Warriors and I got the 32nd pick in the draft. I’m picking Bronny James. LeBron James is on record already telling you he wants to play with his son. He’s a free agent at the end of the year potentially. I’m going to force his hand by drafting Bronny James, and now I win by getting LeBron James in uniform. Bronny James doesn’t have to play for me, he could be at the end of the bench working out every day getting better.”

Bronny has already shown flashes of his potential, despite limited playing time. More proof of his brilliance came during USC’s 78-65 win against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. While he ended the game with just five points, his crucial dunk in the first half helped the Trojans get a two-point lead early in the game. Although they did eventually end up blowing the lead, he once again helped the team secure a 34-30 lead with a three-pointer in the last five seconds of the first half. Moreover, he ended the night with six rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block. However, only time will tell whether he’ll enter the league or run it back with USC.

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