Bronny James’ recruitment has been a tough one for some teams interested in his services.
The 6-foot-3 guard, the oldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, is in his senior year at Southern California’s Sierra Canyon, and some coaches share the difficulty of the 18-year-old’s recruiting process.
“I tried to get involved, but you had to jump through a thousand hoops just to get to the mom,” one ACC coach told On3. “You must not speak to the child. You must make an appointment on Tuesday or Thursday with the publicist just to speak to the mother.”
Another SEC coach added, “Looking back on it, we probably should have tried to get involved. To be honest, I didn’t know how realistic the recruiting would be.”
Bronny has become a celebrity in his own right as the son of a future Hall of Famer, and a skill on the court that has made him a top prospect for the class of 2023. He’s ranked as the No. 38 overall prospect and No. 10 combo guard in On3’s 2023 rankings. He is also the No. 7 player in California.
“Simply put, Bronny is special and he possesses the same greatness that we see from LeBron,” said a West Coast assistant.
Bronny — who was named to the boys’ McDonald’s All-American game on Tuesday as part of the West roster — is still considering his options.
In response to an LA Times report that Bronny’s top three colleges include Ohio State, Oregon and Southern California, the 18-year-old told On3, “I’m still open, but those are options.”
On Sunday, LeBron James told The Oregonian that Bronny hasn’t necessarily narrowed his options to those three schools, but that they are in a “top five or six.”
“He’s going to make his own decision, but there’s a chance,” he said of the possibility of Bronny looking for Oregon. I think Bronny can go to any college he wants. All I have to do is pick up the phone. If Bronny says he wants to go there, he’s good enough.”
On3 ranked Bronny as the No. 1 NIL producer at $7.5 million on their top 100 rating. He already has NIL deals with Nike and PSD Underwear, as well as Beats by Dre – for which he stars in a campaign ad alongside James with the tagline “The Chosen One vs. The Chosen Son.”
James has long said he wants to play alongside his son in the NBA. During a Twitter Q&A with fans in May, James said“That’s the plan! God willing,” when asked if he plans to play with Bronny.
