Bronny James has unusual marketing value for an NBA second-round pick

Bronny James may not be the best player selected in the second round of the recent NBA Draft. But he is likely the most marketable, coming into the league with unusual resources that could lead to a marketing bonanza, according to a report from Deadline’s sister publication Sportico.

The 19-year-old son of LeBron James has a name-image license value of $3.2 million, according to an estimate by the social network On3 to Sportico.

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That figure, On3 said, is less than half of last year’s value, when Bronny was worth an estimated $7 million thanks to deals with Google, Beats by Dre and Nike.

That was before his only season at USC was marred by cardiac arrest, adjusting to college and a struggling team.

Despite this zero decline, however, he has a sizeable social media audience, with 8 million followers on Instagram and 5.4 million followers on TikTok.

Eric Smallwood, president of marketing consultancy Apex Marketing Group, says that given his notoriety, even one season of Bronny James in the G League is valuable.

“These second-round picks really don’t play much and are lucky if they’re even in the league a year later,” Smallwood said. “If he gets a two-way contract, tickets will sell out wherever the G League team is affiliated with the parent league team. Those venues are small, so G League tickets are sold in advance. The Las Vegas Summer League (which almost all rookies participate in) would have a direct impact.”

Sportico estimates Bronny’s minimum salary for next season, if he stays with the Lakers, will be the league minimum of $1,276,599.

Bronny’s marketing value will increase as he spends more time on the NBA court. “And then there’s the question of a shoe deal,” Smallwood said. “What’s next? Does he do a shoe deal if he wants to play on a G-League team that has some influence with Nike?”

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