LeBron James’ immediate goal is to win another NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. But in the long term, he wants to play in the league with his eldest son, LeBron Jr., who is going alongside Bruni, starting in 2024.
James “I want to be down to earth with my son” Tell ESPN in January, recalling a situation from his childhood where Ken Griffey and his son, Ken Griffey Jr., played for the Seattle Mariners. “I have to be down to earth with Bruni.”
6-foot-3 guard Broni James kept that goal on track Saturday by verbally committing to play college basketball next season at the University of Southern California. He was sitting on the court Saturday night as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference Semifinal series with the Golden State Warriors.
“First of all, congratulations to my son on his upcoming journey and choosing a great college at USC,” LeBron James said after tallying 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists as the Lakers won Game 3 127-97 in Los Angeles. “I am proud of him. This is unbelievable.”
LeBron James added that he believes Broni will be the first member of his family, “the first member of the James gang,” to attend college.
Bronny James made the announcement on Instagram, where he has more than seven million followers. His account had a photo of himself posing in a Southern California locker room along with the caption, “Fight On #committed.” USC is sponsored by Nike, which has invested heavily in his father since he entered the NBA as a generational phenomenon in 2003.
At USC, Bronny James plans to join fellow Sierra Canyon classmate Juju Watkins as the highest-ranked all-girl in the first grade. Both players have endorsement deals with Nike. And Bruni James also has one with Beats by Dre.
Memphis and Ohio State, the school LeBron said he would have attended had he gone to college instead of going straight into the NBA from high school where he was the No. 1 overall pick, are among other universities associated with Bronie James. He visited Ohio with his father in September, Fans cheered at the weekend soccer match“We want Brunei.”
Broni James had less fanfare as a prospect than his father did (of course, few high school players get the treatment that LeBron James received). He was rated a four-star prospect by career website 247Sports, which ranked him as the No. 26 adult prospect.
Not only would he be USC’s highest-ranked recruit that honor would belong to Isaiah Collier, a five-star prospect from Marietta, Ga. , who was rated the No. 1 guard in the class.
However, Collier was busy recruiting Bronny James during the show’s most recent circuit.
“Stay home, that’s the ballpark,” Collier told reporters at last month’s Nike Hope Summit in Portland, Oregon, where the two players competed. “Why did you leave Los Angeles?”
The book so far on Bronny James is that he has a strong basketball IQ and an improved jump shot, but lacks elite sports. He averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season at Sierra Canyon, but was a second-team selection in the league.
“It’s solid,” said Thaddeus Young, who finished his 16th season in the NBA and sponsored the grassroots team that competed against James at last summer’s Nike Peach Jam. His assessment was greatly echoed by college coaches and NBA scouts. “Obviously, maybe not the elite of the elite. But he’s athletic, he’s strong, he plays defense, he can hit the ball really well, he can run the position guard, he can play off the ball,” he said.
However, some colleges were wary of recruiting Broni James. There were multiple factors at play for any coach considering him. What happens if he doesn’t play well enough to be worth a lot of playing time? What if the team does a good job but struggles? What if the team doesn’t do well at all? How will security and locker room access be handled when LeBron James and his wife Savannah attend games? Consider Bronny has Great potential for individual endorsement dealsWill there be additional pressure to play?
Broni James, who turns 19 in October, is widely expected to spend one season in college before entering the NBA draft in 2024, when his father turns 40. Under the league’s current rules, players cannot enter the draft. Until they’re 19 and one. He was removed from his high school graduating class. This rule was renewed in a recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA Players Association and team owners, despite some campaigning in college sports for athletes to be able to turn professional after graduating from high school.
LeBron James was asked on Saturday if it was his goal to play alongside his son.
He said, “We will support him whatever he decides to do.” “Because that’s my ambition and goal doesn’t mean it’s his. And I’m totally OK with that. My job is to support my son, whatever he wants to do.”
Bronny James is projected as an NBA lottery pick by some draft experts. However, the Lakers do not have a first-round pick in 2024, and LeBron has a player option for the 2024-25 season.
All of this makes it unclear how Ronnie James could end up on the same team as his famous father.
Suban Deep Contributed reporting from Los Angeles.