Bronny James attends Shaq’s daughter Me’arah O’Neal’s birthday party

Me’arah O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter, celebrated her 18th birthday last week, and among the guests at her party was Bronny James. The USC guard, valued at $3.7 million NIL (per On3), was photographed with the birthday girl, and the moment was shared on Instagram.

O’Neal, a high school senior, signed with the Florida Gators last year and will arrive at Gainesville in the fall of 2024. Despite visiting the LSU Tigers, where Shaq went, the 6-foot-4 post player chose the Gators and explained (via ESPN):

“I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged. And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida.”

Shaq was seemingly happy with her choice, despite her choosing a rival school. As per ESPN, he shared that he tried to stay out of her decision-making process and said:

“What I did tell her is, ‘Go where you’re needed, not where you’re wanted. Because if you go where you’re wanted and they got other people like you, may take a while.’ I want [my kids] to have their own journey, have their own experience.”

Meanwhile, Bronny James will enter the 2024 NBA draft as well as the transfer portal while maintaining college eligibility.

Bronny James is invited to the NBA draft Combine, despite his underwhelming performances

In his freshman season with the USC Trojans, James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6% shooting. When he declared for the 2024 NBA draft, many doubted if any team would pick him based on these underwhelming numbers.

However, fans were left fuming when the NBA released its 78-man invite list for the NBA draft Combine, and Bronny James was among those invited. They argued that some other deserving players with better performances had been snubbed, in a case of nepotism.

Reports suggest that his father, LeBron James’ team, the Los Angeles Lakers seems to be the most likely destination for Bronny. The team has shown interest in drafting him to appease James Sr and prevent him from using the player option available this summer. LeBron has expressed his desire to share the court with his son and the Lakers are ready to bring it to reality.

At the Combine, Bronny James will undergo medical examinations along with other performance tests to ensure he is fit to play in the NBA. The young guard suffered a cardiac arrest last summer due to a congenital heart defect and underwent surgery. This negatively impacted his performance in college, and it is still not known if it could affect his move to the league as well.