Bronny James

LeBron Raymone "Bronny" James Jr. (born October 6, 2004) is an American basketball player. He was named a McDonald's All-American as a senior in 2023. He is the eldest child of professional basketball player LeBron James.

Early life

Bronny James was born on October 6, 2004, to then-reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, aged 19, and his then-girlfriend Savannah Brinson, aged 18. James was raised by both of his parents, and they married in 2013.

As a child, James played several sports including basketball and soccer, but his father did not allow him to play football or ice hockey over safety concerns. By 2014, James was being featured in basketball highlight reels that drew national attention. In February 2018, James guided Old Trail School in Bath Township, Summit County, Ohio, where he attended middle school, to an Independent School League tournament win.

James competed with various Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball teams before high school. At age nine, he played for the Miami City Ballers at a fourth grade AAU tournament while being observed by Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari. In June 2015, James led the Gulf Coast Blue Chips AAU team to a fourth grade championship at the League Dallas/Hype Sports Summer Jam.

In March 2018, he helped the North Coast Blue Chips capture a John Lucas All-Star Weekend title in Houston. On April 2, 2018, his Blue Chips finished undefeated and claimed the under-13 championship at the NY2LA Swish 'N Dish tournament in Wisconsin. In June, James represented the same team at the Jr. National Basketball Association (NBA) Midwest Championships against ninth grade opponents and advanced to the quarterfinals. In April 2019, despite being younger than most of the competition at age 14, he joined AAU team Strive for Greatness at the under-16 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in Indianapolis, where he faced a number of highly coveted recruits and drew praise from scouts.

On August 6, 2018, James enrolled at Crossroads School, a private K–12 school in Santa Monica, California. California state rules prevented him from immediately joining the varsity team because he was in eighth grade. On December 3, 2018, in his first game for the school, James scored 27 points in a 61–48 victory over Culver City Middle School.

High school career

On May 29, 2019, James transferred to Sierra Canyon School, a private K–12 school in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, for his freshman year of high school. He joined the school with his brother Bryce and incoming senior Zaire Wade, son of basketball player Dwyane Wade, a longtime teammate of James's father. In the following months, James was followed to Sierra Canyon by five-star recruits, Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams. Entering the season, the team was considered one of the best in high school basketball, with ESPN networks airing 15 of its games. On November 21, 2019, James made his high school debut, scoring 10 points off the bench in a blowout win over Montgomery High School. On December 14, James scored 15 points, including a go-ahead layup, and was named game most valuable player (MVP) in a victory over his father's alma mater, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. On January 15, 2020, he scored a season-high 17 points in a win over Viewpoint School. As a freshman, James averaged 4.1 points in 15 minutes per game and was Sierra Canyon's only player to appear in all 34 games of the season. In his sophomore season, James tore his meniscus, which required surgery to repair. On January 24, 2023, James was named a McDonald's All-American, 20 years after his father's selection.

Recruiting

When James was nine years old, then-Ohio State coach Thad Matta joked that he needed to offer him a scholarship. By 2015, James had already received basketball scholarship offers from colleges, although the specific names were not announced. His father commented, "It should be a violation, you shouldn't be recruiting 10-year-old kids." As of 2021, his 247Sports.com recruiting profile lists his schools of interest as Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA, with Kentucky being the only school that has made a scholarship offer. 247Sports.com dropped James from 27 to 52 in its prospect rankings at the start of his junior year. James moved up from 49 to 43 on ESPN's list in his junior year after starting his freshman year ranked in the 20s and being ranked the best player in the class of 2023 while in middle school. During the summer of 2022, Rivals.com dropped James from 29 to 60 in its prospect rankings. In August 2022, interest was received from multiple universities, including Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. On August 19, 2022, James received an offer from Memphis.

Player profile

James stands and can play the point guard and shooting guard positions. He has a "smooth shooting stroke" and is an adept ball handler and passer. Scouts have additionally commended his "feel for the game" and poise on the basketball court.

James has worn the number 0 jersey because it is the number worn by his favorite NBA player, Russell Westbrook. Entering eighth grade, he switched to a number 23 jersey in honor of his father.

Personal life

James' godfather is NBA All-Star Chris Paul.

In 2020, James signed with esports organization FaZe Clan.

References

External links

Sierra Canyon Trailblazers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Bronny
2004 births
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Los Angeles
FaZe Clan
Guards (basketball)
Bronny
Living people
Sierra Canyon School alumni
Sportspeople from Los Angeles
Twitch (service) streamers