By ADAM ZAGORIA
LeBron James is speaking out on Bronny’s recruitment and telling folks to pump the brakes.
With various sites and Twitter feeds suggesting that Oregon is “in the lead” to land Bronny James in 2023, LeBron says hold up.
He hasn’t taken 1 visit yet and has only had a few calls with coaches and universities. When Bronny makes his choice you’ll hear it from him. #JamesGang👑 https://t.co/BBciKxl7m8
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 17, 2022
LeBron said earlier this year that he planned to play his final season in the NBA in 2024 with his older son. That means the 6-foot-3 Bronny would have to do a one-and-done year either at a college or a professional development league such as the NBA G League or Overtime Elite.
Bronny and his family have had calls with Nike schools Oregon and USC, sources said, but Oregon has not officially offered and nothing is expected any time soon in terms of a commitment, sources said.
“I think USC is really trying to get him,” one college coach said.
Also @OregonMBB has not yet officially offered Bronny but has had contact with him and his family https://t.co/xh45tnR197
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 16, 2022
Among other schools with interest in James are Ohio State (where LeBron said he would have attended had he gone to college), Memphis and Rutgers, as we reported in our New York Times piece on Bronny and on ZAGSBLOG.
There are multiple factors at stake for any school that considers taking James, including handling security when his father and mother attend games, playing time for Bronny, any NIL opportunities that arise from Bronny being on the team (and how it affects his teammates) and just overall fit within the team culture.
“There’s a lot that comes along with coaching the son of a celebrity,” one coach said. “In this case, it could be the biggest celebrity on the planet. Does he play, does he not play? How do you coach him? Are you strict with him, are you lenient with him? All the other parents sit in one section, LeBron sits in another section. There is a lot. It becomes a circus.
“I think those are all legitimate concerns.”
Bronny and his California Basketball Club are currently on the AXE Euro Tour that involves stops in London, Paris and Rome. In Paris, Bronny threw down a monster dunk against the French Select Team.
BRONNY JAMES THROWS IT DOWN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ikJ8ksPVSx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 15, 2022
They will play Stella Azzurra in Rome Thursday in a game set to air at noon ET on ESPNU.
ESPN, of course, aired LeBron’s games when he was in high school, and is now doing the same with Bronny.
Lea Miller of Complete Sports Management organized the trip, as well as Auburn’s recent trip to Israel for Bruce Pearl’s “Birthright for College Basketball” initiative.
“There’s a myriad [number of logistics], you had three different cities. Security, basketball, the same kind of thing as Israel, just different parts of the world,” Miller said by phone before the trip.
Miller added that “this is a historic trip” because it’s the first involving an overseas trip for an American high school team.
“It’s historic, it’s way more than showcasing the boys basketball,” she said. “It’s opening up the world to high school basketball.”
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