Despite his underwhelming performance on the court, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James has become a phenomenon.
Fans chant his name during games. They packed the arenas in every Bronny’s game, even in the G League.
Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas highlighted Bronny’s skyrocketing popularity, claiming that the 55th overall pick has already sold over 500,000 jerseys since he was drafted by the Lakers.
“You average 10 points per game and sell no jerseys. [Bronny James] plays no minutes but sells 500K. Who’s worth more to the owner, you or him?” Arenas said on “Gil’s Arena” podcast.
“You average 10ppg and sell no jerseys. [Bronny James] plays no minutes but sells 500K. Who’s worth more to the owner, you or him?”
The Arena jumps Rashad over Bronny James’ value to the Lakers and the NBA. pic.twitter.com/0kUmGagAds
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) November 28, 2024
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One of Arenas’ co-hosts estimated Bronny’s jersey sales at $100 a piece would reach over $50 million, a staggering amount for a rookie who has only played five games so far and is just averaging 0.7 points on 16.7% field goal shooting in 2.7 minutes.
It’s still early in the season, and the NBA has yet to release their list of top-selling jerseys.
If Arenas is right, Bronny is on track to making the list where his father has been the top seller for nine seasons since he entered the NBA in 2003.
LeBron and Bronny’s NBA Opening Night Jerseys Sold
LeBron James and his eldest son, Bronny, made history on opening night against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22 as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA and for the same team.
Their jerseys, which are believed to have been worn during that historic night, were auctioned by Sotheby’s and sold for $102,000 on December 4.
According to Sotheby’s, both jerseys were matched to multiple games and during media day.
LeBron and Bronny checked in together with four minutes left in the second quarter. Bronny had one rebound and missed his two field goal attempts in 2 minutes and 41 seconds of play.
On the other hand, LeBron scored 16 points and added five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks as the Lakers beat the Timberwolves 110-103 that night.
It was the second Bronny jersey auctioned by Sotheby’s.
In September, Bronny’s game-worn jersey during his NBA Summer League debut fetched $38,400.
Bronny scored four points on 2-for-9 shooting in 21 minutes wearing that jersey against the Sacramento Kings on July 6 in a 108-94 Lakers loss.
Bronny James’ Net Worth
The Lakers signed Bronny to a four-year, $7.9 million rookie deal, the largest contract given to a 55th pick over the last five years.
Of the last five No. 55 picks before Bronny, only Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos managed to earn a multi-year rookie deal with $75,000 partially guaranteed, which he signed after one year in the G League.
Kyle Guy (2019), Jay Scrubb (2020), Aaron Wiggins (2021) and Isaiah Wong (2023) only got two-way contracts in their first year.
Bronny’s annual salary as a player, though, pales in comparison to what he earned during his lone season at USC, where he was the highest-paid NCAA athlete with an estimated $5.9 million revenue in NIL deals.
Among his biggest endorsement deals came from Nike, Beats by Dre.
Forbes estimates Bronny’s net worth to be at $10 million, according to Marca.
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