Recruiting Bronny James is not easy: you have to “skip a thousand steps”
The recruitment of Bronny James has been a difficult task for some teams interested in his services.
The 6-foot-3 guard, who is the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, is in his senior year at Sierra Canyon in Southern California, and some coaches share the difficulties 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,” an ACC coach told On3. “You’re not allowed to talk to the kid. You have to schedule a meeting on Tuesday or Thursday with the publicist just to talk to the mom.
Another SEC coach added, “Looking back, we probably should have tried to get involved. To be honest, I had no idea how realistic the recruitment would be.
Bronny rose to fame in his own right as the son of the future Hall of Famer, and a skill set on the court that made him one of the top prospects for the Class of 2023. He is ranked No. 38 in the standings. overall 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 has the same greatness that we see in LeBron,” said a West Coast college assistant.
Bronny — who was named to the McDonald’s Boys’ All-American Game on Tuesday as part of the West’s roster — is still weighing 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 always open , but these are options.”
On Sunday, LeBron James told The Oregonian that Bronny didn’t necessarily limit his options to those three schools, but that they were in the “top five or six.”
“He’s going to make his own decision, but there’s a chance,” he said of the possibility of Bronny adapting to Oregon. I think Bronny can go to any college. All I have to do is pick up the phone. If Bronny says he wants to go, he’s good enough.
On3 ranked Bronny as the #1 NIL manufacturer at $7.5 million on their top 100 rating. He’s already landed 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, Jacques said“That’s the plan! God willing,” when asked if he plans to perform with Bronny.