Bronny James

LeBron Raymone "Bronny" James Jr. (born October 6, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. A consensus four-star recruit, James was named a McDonald's All-American as a senior in high school in 2023. He played one season of college basketball for the USC Trojans before being selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft. He is the eldest child and teammate of professional basketball player LeBron James Sr., making them the NBA's first active father-son duo.

Early life and career
James was born on October 6, 2004, in Akron, Ohio, to reigning NBA Rookie of the Year LeBron James, age 19, and his girlfriend Savannah Brinson, age 18. He was raised by both of his parents, who 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 because of safety concerns. By the time he was 10 years old, his highlights from youth basketball games were drawing national attention. During his childhood, James played for the Miami City Ballers with teammates such as Jett Howard and the Houston-based Gulf Coast Blue Chips. In middle school, he competed for the North Coast Blue Chips, a team that included Mikey Williams. James also played for Old Trail School in Bath Township, Summit County, Ohio, where he attended middle school, and led his team to an Independent School League tournament win. In July 2018, a youth game featuring James was canceled after a fan wearing a Michael Jordan jersey heckled his father and was denied entrance. On August 6, 2018, he 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. In April 2019, he made his Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) debut with Strive for Greatness.

Freshman season
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 Dwyane Wade, a longtime teammate of James’ father. Sierra Canyon's basketball program, under head coach Andre Chevalier, was one of the best in the nation and won the previous two California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state titles. The 2019–20 team was led by five-star recruits, Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams, who transferred there for their senior years. Entering the season, ESPN announced that its networks would air 15 of the team's games. Despite heavy media attention, James' father barred him from being interviewed.

On November 21, 2019, James made his high school debut, scoring 10 points off the bench in a 91–44 win over Montgomery High School. On December 14, he scored 15 points, including a go-ahead layup, and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP) in a 59–56 victory over his father's alma mater, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. On January 15, 2020, James scored a season-high 17 points in a 117–62 win over Viewpoint School. Five days later, during a Hoophall Classic game against Paul VI Catholic High School, an orange peel was thrown by a young fan at James, causing a brief stoppage of play. Although the offender was not immediately identified, a clip of the incident went viral, drawing criticism from James’ father, and the fan issued an apology. Sierra Canyon reached the Open Division state championship game, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a freshman, James averaged 4.1 points in 15 minutes per game, as Sierra Canyon finished with a 30–4 record, and was his team's only player to appear in all 34 games of the season.

Sophomore season
On November 12, 2020, James played his first preseason game as a sophomore for California Basketball Club (CBC), a travel team representing Sierra Canyon, against Air Nado, a team affiliated with Coronado High School, at the High School Showcase. He scored nine points, all in the first half. In February 2021, James tore his meniscus at practice and underwent surgery. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had not played any official games for Sierra Canyon in the 2020–21 season, which was set to begin later that year. After missing most of the season, James returned against Centennial High School in the CIF Southern Section Open Division final on June 11. He scored seven points in an 80–72 loss. Sierra Canyon, led by junior Amari Bailey, finished the season with a 16–2 record.

Junior season
In James' junior season, his Sierra Canyon team was led by seniors Amari Bailey and Kijani Wright. On December 4, 2021, he scored a game-high 19 points in a 71–53 win over St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in the Chosen-1's Invitational at Staples Center, as Bailey was sidelined with an ankle injury. His team was upset by Harvard-Westlake School in the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals, where he scored four points.

Sierra Canyon reached the Open Division regional final, losing to Centennial High School, 83–59, and James was held scoreless while playing through hip soreness. The team ended the season with a 26–5 record. As a junior, James averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 29 appearances.

Senior season
In his senior season, James stepped into a leading role and was joined on the team by his younger brother, Bryce. In August 2022, he played alongside his Sierra Canyon teammates for CBC in three exhibition games in Europe. In his second game, James led all scorers with 25 points in a 97–85 loss to U18 French Select in Paris. On October 29, James and his team were evacuated from a preseason game against the Hyattsville Stags, a team representing DeMatha Catholic High School, after a fight broke out in the stands and a fan reported seeing a gun. Although no firearms were found, the game was not resumed.

After missing the first two regular season games with an illness, James made his senior debut on November 26, recording 13 points, four assists and three rebounds in a 63–60 overtime loss to Rancho Christian School. In his first home game on November 30, he scored 25 points in a 77–61 win over Crossroads School. In January 2023, James missed four games with a knee injury and scored 19 points in his return on February 1 as his team lost to Notre Dame High School, 88–61, at the Mission League semifinals. Sierra Canyon was relegated from the CIF Open Division to Division I after its worst performance in the regular season and Southern Section Open Division playoffs in the tenure of Andre Chevalier. James scored 10 points in an 80–68 season-ending loss to Notre Dame High School at the Division I regional final. As a senior, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game, leading his team to a 23–11 record. He was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and was named to the United States team for the Nike Hoop Summit. James scored 15 points, making five three-pointers which tied the record for most made three-pointers in the event ever while dishing out 4 assists and 2 steals, in a 109–106 loss at the McDonald's All-American Game and finished second in the event's dunk contest. In the Nike Hoop Summit, he scored 11 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block as along with hitting the go ahead free-throws as his team won, 90–84.

Recruiting
By 2015, James was receiving scholarship offers and letters of interest from college basketball programs, according to his father, who commented, "It should be a violation. You shouldn't be recruiting 10-year-old kids." In 2016, ESPN reported that James held offers from Duke and Kentucky. Entering high school, analysts viewed him a high major NCAA Division I prospect. He first appeared in recruiting rankings before his sophomore season, and 247Sports and ESPN rated him a four-star recruit and a top-30 player in the 2023 class. Early in his junior season coming off a season ending injury, James fell to 52nd and 49th in rankings by 247Sports and ESPN, respectively, and he dropped 31 spots to number 60 in rankings by Rivals in June 2022. In his senior season, he rose in rankings from each service with On3 ranking James the 9th best player in his class. On January 17, 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that James would decide between attending college at Ohio State, Oregon or USC. On May 6, James announced his commitment to USC, with Ohio State being his other finalist.

College career
On July 24, 2023, at approximately 9:26 a.m. PDT, James collapsed at the Galen Center during a USC practice session. It was later revealed that he had suffered cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect. James was released from the hospital on July 27. James was projected as a top ten pick in the 2024 NBA draft and according to Jonathan Givony, was seen as the most improved prospect in the country before his cardiac arrest.

Less than five months removed from his cardiac arrest, James made his collegiate debut for the Trojans on December 10, finishing with four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block off the bench. On December 30, James scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 from the field and had three assists in a road loss against Oregon State. On January 17, 2024, James played a season-high 30 minutes and recorded 11 points, five rebounds and six assists in an 82–67 loss to No. 12 Arizona. James appeared in USC's final 25 games, starting six and averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes.

On April 5, 2024, James announced on Instagram that he would enter the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and also enter the transfer portal.

In early May 2024, James was medically cleared to be eligible for the NBA draft. On May 28, 2024, it was reported that James had at least 10 workout invites from NBA teams but only visited a "couple" of those teams, which included the Lakers and Suns.

Los Angeles Lakers (2024–present)
On June 27, 2024, James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The selection paired James with his father, becoming the first-ever father-son duo to be in the NBA at the same time. During ESPN's coverage of the draft, Bob Myers claimed that James' agent Rich Paul was threatening other NBA teams to not draft James or else he would go play overseas in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia instead. On July 3, 2024, he signed a contract with the Lakers. He made his NBA Summer League debut on July 6, putting up four points along with two assists, two rebounds, and one steal in a 108–94 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Player profile
James stands at 6 ft and can play the point guard and shooting guard positions. Analysts have described shooting and defense as his main strengths, although he lacks the size of most NBA players with his skill set. James excels in catch-and-shoot situations and is also capable of shooting off movement. He can defend point guards and his defensive anticipation and intensity have been praised. In 2023, ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony noted that James was developing into one of the top perimeter defenders in his class. Jonathan Wasserman described James as possessing a high basketball IQ and being a willing passer. Although he is a reliable ball-handler, he can struggle to create separation from defenders. His driving and finishing abilities have been labeled as weaknesses, despite him having the strength to finish through contact. James's playing style has drawn comparisons to De'Anthony Melton, Lonzo Ball, Miles McBride, and Jrue Holiday.

Personal life
James' godfather is NBA All-Star Chris Paul, who is a close friend of his father.

In 2020, James signed with esports organization FaZe Clan. Through the partnership, he was expected to stream Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone under the handle "FaZe Bronny." In June 2021, James made his first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside members of FaZe Clan, including NFL quarterback Kyler Murray.

James has established a large social media following since high school. In May 2019, he started an Instagram account and reached one million followers in his first day on the platform. By the end of high school, James had over seven million followers on Instagram.

Analysts have projected James as having one of the highest-earning potentials from his name, image and likeness (NIL) among college athletes. In February 2022, he filed for trademarks on variations of his name: Bronny, BJ Jr. and Bronald. In high school, James signed NIL deals with Nike and Beats by Dre.

James has worn the number 0 jersey because it is the number worn by his favorite NBA player, Russell Westbrook. He has also worn the number 23 jersey in honor of his father. In 2024, James chose to wear the number 9 jersey on the Los Angeles Lakers in honor of deceased rapper Juice WRLD.