NBA Exec Praises Bronny James Buzz for Keeping Fans 'Engaged' with Day 2 of NBA Draft

There's still some debate within the NBA as to whether the draft needs a second day, but at least one league executive praised the intrigue Bronny James brought to the table.

"We didn't need a second day, we just needed a longer second round with more time between picks," the executive told ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "But the reset between days was helpful for all of us and allowed us to have better internal and external conversations and a much sounder process. I was in favor of this move and it ultimately went even better than I expected. The Bronny stuff even created some tension that kept the casual fans engaged which was a plus also despite the awkward timing due to the presidential debate."

The NBA expanded the draft to two days for the first time this year, with teams also getting four minutes between picks. That was double the league's previous two-minute timer for second-round selections.

It's unclear whether adding the second day was a successful endeavor overall. Ratings for the second round dipped to an average of 895,000, down from 1.19 million in 2023 and 1.12 million in 2022. Second-round viewership peaked at 1.23 million when James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA moved the second-round broadcast to the afternoon due to the first Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. It's likely the league will continue with the experiment into next season and broadcast in prime time to see if ratings improve.

James, the son of LeBron James, is the first son of an active NBA player to ever be taken in the draft.