LeBron James’ immediate goal is to win another NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Longer term, though, he wants to play in the league alongside his eldest son LeBron Jr., nicknamed Bronnie, starting in 2024.
‘I need to be on the floor with my son,’ says James Said ESPN in January recalled a childhood situation when Ken Griffey and his son Ken Griffey Jr. played for the Seattle Mariners. .”
6-foot-3 guard Bronnie James kept that goal on track Saturday by verbally promising to play college basketball at the University of Southern California next season. He was sitting courtside Saturday night as the Lakers took Golden State to his 2-1 lead in his Western conference semifinal series against the Warriors.
LeBron James posted 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers’ 127-97 Game 3 win in Los Angeles, saying, “My son is on his next trip and has a great college at USC.” First of all, I want to congratulate him on his choice: “I’m so proud of him. This is unbelievable.”
LeBron James believes Bronnie is the first member of his family and “the first member of the James Gang” to attend college.
Bronnie James made the announcement on Instagram where she has over 7 million followers. His account had a photo of him standing in his room in a Southern California locker with the caption, “Fight On #committed.” USC is sponsored by Nike, which has invested heavily in his father since he entered the NBA in 2003 as a generational prodigy.
At USC, Bronnie James will join Juju Watkins, a classmate from Sierra Canyon and a top girl prospect in the senior class. Both players have sponsorship deals with Nike. Bronnie James also has it with Beats by Dre.
Memphis and Ohio State are the schools LeBron said he would have attended if he had gone to college instead of going straight out of high school to the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick, and is associated with Bronnie James. It was one of the other colleges. He visited Ohio with his father in September, chanted by fans at a football game that weekend“I want a bronnie”
Bronnie James received less fanfare as a prospect than his father (of course, few high school players get the treatment LeBron James received). and ranked as the 26th prospect in the senior class.
He won’t be USC’s highest-ranking recruit The honor belongs to Isaiah Collier, a five-star prospect from Marietta, Georgia, who is rated the number one point guard in his class.
Still, Collier has been busy recruiting Bronnie James on the recent Showcase circuit.
“Stay home, that’s my pitch,” Collier told reporters at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon, last month. “Why did you leave LA?”
Previous books on Bronnie James say he has a sharp basketball IQ and an improved jump shot, but lacks elite athleticism. He averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season with Sierra Canyon, while making the second team in the All League.
“He’s solid,” said Thaddeus Young, who sponsored the grassroots team that faced James at last summer’s Nike Peach Jam after 16 seasons in the NBA. His reputation resonated greatly with college coaches and his NBA scouts. “Obviously, probably not the elite of the elite. I can play,” he said.
Still, some colleges were wary of hiring Bronnie James. Coaches considering hiring him had multiple factors. What if he doesn’t play well enough to deserve significant playing time? What if the team is doing well and he’s struggling? What happens?How will security and locker room access be handled when LeBron James and his wife Savannah attend the game? Great potential for individual endorsement dealsis there any additional pressure to play him?
Bronnie 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. You can’t get into the draft until you’re 19 and 1. Years removed from high school graduation classes. This rule was updated in a recent collective bargaining agreement between the NBA Players Union and team owners.
LeBron James was asked Saturday if playing alongside his son remains a goal of his.
“Whatever he decides to do, we’re going to support him,” he said. “Because that’s my desire and my goal is not necessarily what it is for him. And I’m totally fine with that. My job is to support my son in whatever he wants to do.” is.”
Some draft pundits are predicting Bronnie James as an NBA lottery pick. However, the Lakers don’t have his 2024 first-round pick, and LeBron has his option as a player for his 2024-25 season.
All of which makes it unclear how Bronnie James will be on the same team as his famous father.
Sopan Deb Contributed a report from Los Angeles.
