Bronny James is widely regarded as one of the most promising and fascinating high school basketball prospects in the nation.
As the eldest son of LeBron James there was always going to be a certain amount of hype around Bronny, but the youngster has also held up his end of the bargain. He has often show himself to be a particularly savvy player despite not being blessed with the same physical gifts that his father had at his age.
Bronny’s official rankings have varied. He recently suffered a pretty steep drop, but most assumed it wouldn’t have much of an impact on his ability to land with a strong college program.
That said, this week, something of an interesting development occurred.
According to 247Sports Director of Scouting, Adam Finkelstein, Bronny’s expected college decision is slowly starting to come into focus – and it’s not what many were anticipating.
“Now, one question I’ve been getting this week — both in the gym and over the Twittersphere … who’s recruiting Bronny James?” Finkelstein said.
“Well, I don’t know that anybody’s really recruiting Bronny James. I think the perception is that Bronny James is not going to play college basketball. That is not fact by any stretch. But as you sit in a college coaches’ section and you just kind of hear what coaches are saying about this, I haven’t heard anyone who’s said, ‘Yeah, we’re making a hard push for Bronny.’
“And it has nothing to do with the type of player he is. I think everybody is in agreement that he is a good player who can impact winning pretty much from Day 1 at the college level.
“I just think the perception — although we haven’t heard anything definitive at all out of Bronny’s camp — is that he is not likely to play college basketball,” he continued.
“So we will see if that changes in the coming weeks and months. But right now, I have not spoken to any college coaches that think they have a good chance of landing him or even think that it’s an especially worthwhile endeavor in terms of recruiting him. So that’s the latest on Bronny James.”
Needless to say, that is a notable change of plans. It seems like not that long ago when Bronny was being linked to 4 of the most prominent college basketball programs in the nation. The idea that he may spurn all that now is eye-opening.
Obviously it’s no secret that LeBron wants to play alongside his eldest son in the NBA. And the sooner the better. NBA execs have some strong takes on the feasibility of that idea, but it’s definitely out there in the universe.
If LeBron’s plan for Bronny does come to fruition, there is really only one NBA team it could actually happen on. Time will tell if it does.
What’s really interesting about Bronny is that he is still very much an unknown product. Skill-wise, it’s difficult to tell how seamless his transition will be at the next level of basketball. He could either be surprisingly good or very underwhelming, and no one will know for sure until he faces off against better competition.
Mentally, Bronny is strong. He is in the news a lot and it never seems to faze him. Between his controversial pictures with his new girl and his alleged part in Russell Westbrook becoming a Laker, he has been a mainstay in the headlines. And he has consistently handled it fine. You can’t teach that kind of unflappability.
Physically is where the questions surrounding Bronny lay. His size relative to his 15-year-old brother Bryce’s is telling. And things like size matter more and more as you step up in competition levels. There’s a reason why NBA scouts view Bryce as the better prospect.
All that being said, Bronny has made all the right moves up to this point – and it feels like with LeBron guiding him, there’s no reason why that should change any time soon.
This is what happens when you let Steph get hot. https://t.co/aJVNt1V4Jc
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 22, 2022
Will Bronny end up going to college?
Will he go to the G League? Will he somehow end up in the NBA as soon as humanly possible?
An answer should emerge soon enough.
Related: LeBron James Called Out For Dirty Drew League Play (Video)
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
