As the oldest son of LeBron James, Bronny James has never escaped the spotlight. Thanks to his dad’s very public profile, basketball has been engrained in Bronny’s life from the moment he was born. After turning 18 this past weekend (October 6), James’s life is changing a bit more.
Now James is joining his father in another way, by teaming up with Nike. ESPN’s Nick DePaula revealed Bronny has signed a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsement deal with the popular shoe company, which also represents LeBron after signing him to a lifetime contract in 2016.
James is currently undergoing his senior season at Sierra Canyon School, located in California. He will be a member of the 2023 recruiting class, but despite having received multiple scholarship offers, James has yet to announce any future plans. Some of the teams who have extended an offer include Memphis, Ohio State, and USC, among others.
While as a company, Nike has taken things quite a bit further with LeBron, developing a custom shoe line for the incredibly famous basketball legend. Who knows what the future holds for Bronny, but for now, he’s starting with an endorsement deal. There were no further details revealed on just what type of contract Bronny received.
Nike also signed four other basketball prospects to an NIL contract, along with Bronny.
- Bronny James, Sierra Canyon, guard
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa, point guard
- DJ Wagner, Camden, NJ, point guard
- Haley Jones, Stanford, guard
- JuJu Watkins, Sierra Canyon, guard
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Bronny James ranks as 45th best player in his recruiting class
LeBron James was universally viewed as the top-ranked prospect coming out of high school, essentially as a can’t-miss, generational-type talent. That isn’t necessarily the case for Bronny. While LeBron’s son is still a four-star prospect, he doesn’t have the freakish skillset his dad has.
Still, at 6-foot-3, James ranks as the No. 45 prospect in his class, according to 247Sports.
While some might suggest James is at a disadvantage, having to try and live up to being the offspring of LeBron, and that may be true, he also has one significant factor in his favor. If Bronny feels he’s not living up to his own expectations, he can work closely with one of the game’s best players to ever pick up a basketball. James has the privilege of not only training with an 18-time NBA All-Star, but he can also mimic his training methods, and anything else needed to improve his skills.
While some skills can be refined, there’s only so much room for growth. Bronny may never come close to living up to his namesake, but then again, who could?
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