Four-star guard Bronnie James, eldest son of Lakers legend LeBron James and the best non-committal player in the class of 2023, announced Saturday his commitment to the Southern California commission. The 26th player in the class, according to 247Sports, James ended his extended recruiting by choosing the Trojans over Ohio State and Oregon.
Saturday’s commitment culminates in a successful month for James, who showed up at the annual Nike Hoop Summit in Portland while playing his final games as a high school player last month.
Where James would land has always been of intense interest as he has blossomed over the years from a big name with a great pedigree to a legitimate NBA prospect and one of the most exciting talents to rank. It had long been expected that James would seriously consider going straight from prep to pro in the early stages of his high school career, but in recent months, the college path has seemed the more likely option.
James was a star at Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles. Besides LeBron continuing to star on the Lakers, playing at USC made sense for James from a geographic standpoint.
James’ finalists were all Nike schools with various ties to him and his father. Ohio State landed him a visit, long considered his father’s favorite collegiate program — LeBron is from Akron, Ohio — while Oregon is a key player at Nike whose alumni roster includes Nike founder Phil Knight, who actually signed James to a nil deal.
Young James made his debut in 2020 as a top 30 player in his class before moving up to No. 55 247 mathematical rankings last summer. However, this was the bottom end of the yo-yo for him; He climbed the boards steadily after a hard fall and spring. Athletes again ranked him inside the top 40 by the end of 2022, and he was now ranked 26th nationally as the sixth best player at his position and seventh best player overall from California.
James’ meteoric rise has made it possible for both of them – either in the same league or on the same team – to play in the NBA with his father as soon as 2024. James the eldest, who has long publicly stated his desire to play with his son in the NBA before retiring, and has a contract with the Lakers that runs through 2024 and has a player option in 2025. If his son continues his trajectory and becomes a freelancer with USC, the world of possibilities isn’t over. The two could fulfill James’ dream of playing together.
The 2023 James Rockets added the Trojans to No. 8 nationally and No. 1 in the Pac-12, slightly ahead of the Ducks. Jones gives USC a three-man class headlined by No. 1 overall candidate Isaiah Collier, who was Bronny is very publicly recruited After teaming together on Team West’s Nike Hoop Summit.