Inside Bronny James' 2024 NBA Draft Combine, and why he could follow path of another Hall of Famer's son

Bronny James is putting himself in front of NBA teams and media this week in Chicago

CHICAGO — The name he bore was so unreasonably large that, when Bronny James stepped onto the floor for his first scrimmage at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine here this week, it was disorienting, at first, to recognize the person who carried it. Height 6-foot-1.5 6-foot-2 Wingspan 6-foot-7.25 6-foot-8 Vertical 40.5 inches 38.5 inches

Wearing the gray pinny of his team, the number 50 on his back, the would-be NBA player best known as his father's son seemed... tiny. His smallness, compared to the players who seemed to loom over him on that floor, fit neatly with some of the news he'd made: That without shoes he had measured in at just 6-foot-1.5.

There were hopeful signs, too, but they felt overmatched by so much doubt. Yes, his 40.5 vertical was outstanding, and, yes, his impressive 6-foot-7 wingspan offered more reasons for optimism for those eager to believe in the basketball player with the big name. But many here doubted this James belongs in the league, including several who had scouted him throughout his so-so freshman season at USC.