The 2023-2024 USC men’s basketball team has struggled mightily this season. At 11-17 with three games remaining, head coach Andy Enfield’s squad is looking forward to next season. Coveted freshman Bronny James will need to be on the team next season if he wants to make an impact in the NBA in 2025.
The 19-year-old LeBron James Jr. is the son of NBA superstar LeBron James. Growing up, Bronny James enjoyed playing many sports including basketball and soccer. However, his father did not allow him to play contact sports such as football due to injury concerns. From an early age, his youth basketball games gained national media attention. In fact, James Jr. attracted so much attention that his father was once heckled by a Michael Jordan fan at one of his youth games. The spotlight and expectations only grew once Bronny reached high school.
In November 2019, freshman Bronny James transferred to Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles. During his time at Sierra Canyon, he was teammates with Zaire Wade, the eldest son of Dwyane Wade. James made his high school debut on November 21, 2019. He scored 10 points off the bench in a 91-44 victory over Montgomery High School. Shortly after his debut, James became a media focal point. Because of this and a growing national exposure, LeBron James prevented the media from conducting postgame interviews with his son.
As early as 2015, Bronny James was receiving scholarship offers from major college basketball programs. Duke and Kentucky were just two of the elite NCAA Division I teams who offered James a scholarship. Being that Bronny was only 10 at the time, LeBron disapproved of these programs trying to take advantage of his son’s marketability. By the time James was a senior in 2023, he was rated as a four-star recruit and viewed by many analysts as a top-30 player in last year’s class. He committed to USC in May 2023. Unfortunately, his collegiate career got off to a rocky start.
During a USC practice in July 2023, Bronny James collapsed on the court. It was later revealed that he suffered cardiac arrest as a result of a heart defect. After making a full recovery, James made his highly-anticipated Trojan debut on December 10, 2023 against Long Beach State. In 17 minutes, he scored three points to go along with three rebounds. His inconsistent play would continue for the next several games.
Bronny James’ journey to the NBA has gotten off to a rough start. If he is able to utilize the Trojans’ remaining games to his advantage, he may still be able to surprise NBA experts. As it currently stands, it would behoove him to stay at USC for one more season. If he does, Bronny James could be making highlight plays in the NBA alongside his father in 2025.
Credit Photo – USC Hoops
