Nike releases congratulatory ad to Bronny James being selected by Lakers in NBA draft

It's official: Bronny James is a Los Angeles Laker.

Taken with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Lakers, the USC Trojan guard will now team up with his dad, LeBron James, becoming the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time in the league's history.

REQUIRED READING: 2024 NBA draft live: Bronny James drafted by Lakers, will join dad LeBron

Shortly after Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka called in the selection, Nike released its congratulatory advertisement on the younger James being drafted into the NBA.

"Pressure was never a question...when passion has always been the answer," the ad wrote, which included a photo of Bronny James as a child shooting a basketball on an NBA court.

Less than a year ago, Bronny James went into cardiac arrest during a USC summer practice in July. It was later confirmed that James' health incident was caused by a congenital heart defect, which kept him out for the first month of the 2023-24 college basketball season. In 25 games this past season for USC, Bronny James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 36.6% from the field in 19.8 minutes per game.

While he backed down from his original words of spending his final season with his son and being willing to sign in free agency with the team that drafted Bronny James, Thursday's historic moment of the Lakers taking Bronny James does makes the four-time NBA champion and MVP's dream of playing with his oldest son a reality. As previously reported by USA TODAY, Bronny James only worked out for the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns

The Lakers also took Dalton Knecht in this year's NBA draft, using their No. 17 overall pick on the Tennessee guard.

Bronny James now heads to the NBA and the Lakers, where he will begin his professional career next month in the NBA Summer League.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nike posts congratulatory ad after Lakers take Bronny James No. 55 in NBA draft