Tag: Bronny James

LeBron James affirms plan to play final NBA season with Bronny

LeBron has said numerous times that a long-term goal of his is to play with Bronny in the NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on Saturday reaffirmed his plan to play his final season in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny, on a team that he ultimately lands with.

LeBron has said numerous times that a long-term goal of his is to play with Bronny in the NBA. He is in his 19th season in the NBA and signed with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season when Bronny is scheduled to graduate high school.

Based on the current rules by the NBA, Bronny wouldn’t be eligible for the draft until 2024. However, the league could eventually allow players to declare for the draft straight out of high school, which would be next year when LeBron can be a free agent.

Whenever Bronny can enter the NBA, LeBron will be playing with him.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James said in an interview with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”

Bronny James will turn 18 years old in October. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Bronny is a junior this year at Sierra Canyon High School in California. He is considered to be a four-star prospect by 247Sports and the 34th-ranked recruit in the class of 2023. He has been linked to several college programs, including Duke and Kentucky among others.

Of course, Bronny could also opt to turn pro out of high school if the NBA’s draft rules haven’t changed by then. There are several professional options available, including the NBA G League Ignite, Overtime Elite and the NBL in Australia.

In any case, the potential pairing of LeBron and Bronny in the NBA very much looks to be in the cards. With LeBron set on playing with Bronny, teams around the NBA should be on high alert to potentially land the father-son duo.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Duke involved in recruitment of Bronny James

The Blue Devils remain “involved” in the ongoing recruitment of four-star 2023 combo guard and high school basketball phenom Bronny James, according to recent reports from 247Sports and On3 Sports. James, the elder son of NBA superstar and current Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, has long been connected to the program given his father’s strong relationship with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. James and Krzyzewski grew close while winning consecutive gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Summer Olympics, and James, in a 2018 Instagram comment, described Krzyzewski as “the absolute best,” adding that “(I) hope he’s still at the helm when my boy comes up.”

WATCH: Top 2023 recruit DJ Wagner drops Bronny James with crossover

Top 2023 recruit DJ Wagner sent Bronny James to the floor with a crossover as Camden beat Sierra Canyon on Saturday.

Two of the top high school basketball programs in the country squared off in front of a national audience Saturday, as Camden (N.J.) knocked off Sierra Canyon (Calif.) by a final score of 66-62.

Camden’s matchup with Sierra Canyon featured a ton of star power, headlined by top class of 2023 recruit DJ Wagner. Wagner, the son of former NBA player DaJuan Wagner, has been the consensus top prospect in his class for a while now and is widely regarded as a player with the makings of a future NBA star.

He showed why in one play that has gone viral.

Wagner went to work on Bronny James with Camden leading 52-48 with 6:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wagner received a dribble handoff at the top of the key and isolated James before dropping him to the floor with a nasty crossover.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZVmq1fAXb4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Camden led Sierra Canyon wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 15-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looking back. Camden’s defense smothered Sierra Canyon in the first, limiting the Blazers to 1-12 shooting from the field and eight turnovers.

Sierra Canyon eventually got back into the game thanks to the efforts of five-star UCLA commit and McDonald’s All-American Amari Bailey, but it was not enough to overtake Wagner and his Camden team. Wagner finished with a team-high 21 points on 8-15 shooting, while Bailey finished with a game-high 23 points.

Wagner doesn’t garner as much attention as some other players in his class who are very active on social media, but he has dominated throughout most of his junior season against a difficult national schedule. Wagner can do it all, though, and his handle sent James to the floor and shockwaves through a capacity crowd in Pennsylvania.

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Bronny James and Arch Manning apart of On3’s most valuable athletes

Texas targets Bronny James and Arch Manning among On3’s most valuable players.

With NIL being as prevalent as ever, popular amateur athletes have the ability to maximize their value depending on where they go.

For some athletes like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, it will require them performing well in order to raise their value, but some players like Texas’ Quinn Ewers have the cache before even setting foot on a college campus.

We have seen that NIL has already impacted where some athletes go to school, and it will likely continue to do so in the future.

On3 released their rankings of the top five athletes that hold the most NIL value, and a couple of Texas’ future targets in football and basketball graced the list.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYcRRztlCk2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Starting with the top spot, 2023 four-star LeBron (Bronny) James Jr. is ranked as the most valuable amateur athlete at $6.1 million. James reportedly is believed to have interest in Texas among multiple other blue blood schools. The son of NBA great and Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James, Bronny is a combo guard that is one of the most coveted basketball prospects in the nation.

The second Longhorn target is a descendant of Archie Manning and apart of the Manning tree of quarterbacks, in 2023 five-star Arch Manning. Similar to James, Manning has yet to decide where he will attend college, but Texas has consistently been mentioned in his high graces even after the signing of Quinn Ewers.

Whether Texas will land both or even one of them is to be seen, as both athletes’ recruitments have not been very public. However, if they are able to land them, Texas would likely have the most famous amateurs in the history of college sports.

LeBron said his goal is still to play in the NBA at the same time as Bronny James

“I want him to get to the NBA.”

LeBron James turned 37 just a few days ago, and while most players in their 18th NBA season would show serious signs of decline, LeBron remains … well … LeBron. He’s very good at basketball and three days removed from a 43-point game.

That all bodes well for a lofty goal he’s set for both himself and his 17-year-old son, Bronny James.

About 3.5 years ago, LeBron said that his greatest achievement would be playing in the NBA at the same time as Bronny. Now, Bronny was 13 at the time, and even for the son of an all-time great, a lot can change between the ages of 13 and 19.

But as Bronny continues his junior season with Sierra Canyon (Calif.), that goal appears to be within the realm of possibility. And LeBron seemingly wants it to happen even more now.

LeBron and his wife, Savannah, joined UNINTERRUPTED for an interview recently, and they were asked what they wanted for Bronny’s future.

Savannah said:

“To be happy and find happiness in whatever it is that he does. Whatever it is. I just want him to be happy.”

LeBron’s answer was a bit more specific …

“I want him to get to the NBA. I’m not even gonna lie. I want to be on the court with him. I think that would an unbelievable moment.”

As it stands now, the goal isn’t too farfetched at all.

Most college basketball recruiting analysts view Bronny as a high-major talent. He’s a four-star recruit and ranked 38th in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite score. He’s an impressive shooter, distributer and athlete — even if he lacks the size and scoring pedigree his father had coming out of high school.

It would be close. One more year of high school and an impact freshman season could land him in the NBA for the 2024-25 season. LeBron would be turning 40, but assuming he stays healthy, it could happen.

We already know the desire is there.

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Bronny James is believed to have interest in Texas

Imagine a scenario of…Bronny James, Quinn Ewers, and Arch Manning on campus.

Texas may have the three most famous amateur athletes in America on campus in a couple years, after recent speculations of LeBron (Bronny) James Jr. having interest in Texas’ basketball program.

The other two athletes would be current Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who held the highest rating possible for a recruit, and 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning, who has shown no signs of being deterred by the presence of Ewers at Texas.

James is a junior in high school and currently plays at Los Angeles powerhouse Sierra Canyon as as combo guard. He is rated a four-star prospect and the No. 38 player in the nation according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

He is also the son of NBA legend and current Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James. Manning on the other hand is from football royalty, as his grandfather Archie and his two uncles, Peyton and Eli, were NFL quarterbacks.

Both James and Manning have held very private recruitments, but there has been speculation and evidence that Texas is in the mix for both. Manning’s recruitment has been a tad more public as he has spoken about Texas to the media, and even visited the campus, but James does not speak with the media.

In a recent article by 247Sports’ Eric Bossi, James’ skillset and recruitment was broken down.

James has really started to mature physically and is starting to come into his own as a player. His jump shot looks good, he has deep range, he handles well enough to play some minutes at point and maybe the most pleasant development so far is how he is turning into a big time defender

He’s still basically off limits to the media and hasn’t put out a school list, but some of the teams that he is believed to have interest in include Duke, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas among others.

It is still unknown if James will go to college or if he will go a different route like the G-League, but early interest in Texas could be a great sign for Chris Beard and his staff who have been hitting the recruiting trail hard.

Texas currently has two five-stars committed in their 2022 class, but have yet to nab a 2023 commitment. James is similar to both Ewers and Manning, in that wherever he goes not only will the national spotlight follow, but other top talent will as well.

In just a couple years, Texas’ football or basketball games could have the Manning family along with LeBron James on the sidelines.

Lakers’ LeBron James on possibly playing in the NBA with Bronny

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James discussed the possibility of one day playing in the league with his son, Bronny James.

Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, made headlines recently when his high school, Sierra Canyon, took on St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, the high school his father attended.

The game occurred in Staples Center, where James plays as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Bronny led all scorers with 19 points in a 71-53 win.

After the game, Bronny talked about what it meant to play on the same court as his father, who attended the game along with NBA stars Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, among others. During his media session Monday, James revealed what Bronny’s future goal is.

“My son is putting in the work, and we never talk about it, but his dream is to play in the NBA,” James said. “That’s what he hopes: to get into the NBA and play at a high level. He has my support and my blueprint.”

James previously mentioned how he hopes to play in the NBA at the same time as Bronny. He reiterated that Monday but said they’re approaching it one day at a time.

“So obviously, with health and a little bit of luck, that will be the ultimate thing: to be on the same court as my son playing this beautiful game,” James said. “So that’s a long time, a long time between here and there, so we’ll just take it every day and try to maximize each and every day as his own.”

Bronny is a junior in high school, so there are a few more years remaining before he can be eligible to play in the NBA. Whether he follows LeBron’s footsteps and goes into the draft straight out of high school is unknown, but if he keeps impressing like this, he’ll definitely be a top prospect to monitor.

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LeBron James still absolutely wants to play with Bronny in the NBA

LeBron reiterated that he would still like to one day share the court in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James on Monday reiterated that he would still like to one day share the court in the NBA with his oldest son, Bronny.

LeBron has said numerous times in the past that a long-term goal of his is to play with Bronny in the NBA. He is in his 19th season in the NBA and signed with the Lakers through the 2022-23 season when Bronny is scheduled to graduate high school.

The four-time champion could then opt to sign with the team that drafts Bronny to finish out his legendary career. The rules on draft eligibility would need to be changed by the NBA to facilitate that potential move but the pieces appear to be falling into place.

LeBron said it is absolutely still a goal to play with Bronny in the NBA.

We never talk about it but his dream is to play in the NBA. He hopes to be in the NBA and play at a high level and he has my support, my blueprint. Obviously, with health and a little bit of luck, that would be the ultimate thing for me to be able to be on the same court as my son in this beautiful game but there is a long time between here and there so we just take every day and try to maximize each and every day.

LeBron was among those on hand to watch his son and Sierra Canyon host St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in the Chosen-1’s Invitational on Saturday at Staples Center. Bronny finished with a game-high 19 points to lead Sierra Canyon to a 71-53 win over LeBron’s alma mater.

The potential pairing of LeBron and Bronny in the NBA is very much in the cards but there are still a few things that need to happen in order to facilitate such a move. However, the possibility is becoming closer to happening as LeBron may get his wish after all.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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