LeBron James is a Mcdonald’s All American Basketball player. Only this time I am not talking about the soon to be All-Time NBA scoring leader. I am referring to Lebron James Jr., better known as “Bronny” James who will be suiting up for the 2023 High School McDonald’s All American game. A senior at Sierra Canyon High School, Bronny is currently ranked 28th in the nation by ESPN recruiting, and one of the few players selected as an All-American who is still undecided on where he will play college basketball next season. Bronny has been covered like no other high school prospect before him, largely due to who his father is. Since his middle school days he has trended on YouTube playing in AAU tournaments, and now has a projected NIL value that far exceeds any of his peers. But even that does not do him justice. The truth is that Bronny James is much better than people give him credit for. He just might be the ideal college basketball recruit and here is why.

Bronny is a humble basketball player

The road to success is paved with humility and not pride. Unlike most top prospects, Bronny has spent his entire life under a microscope. And instead of searching for more cameras to flash on him, he has had to work pretty hard to escape them. Growing up with LeBron James as your father, as a basketball player is an immeasurable amount of pressure. Only Marcus and Jeffrey Jordan truly know what Bronny has had to deal with for the entirety of his basketball career. Being compared to his father has meant that he has constantly heard the narrative that he is not good enough to eclipse his father. But Bronny has responded to this by humbly walking through the spotlight. He posts very little on social media compared to any recruit, much less one of his caliber. And quite literally has let his game do the talking. 

Bronny keeps getting better

 For that matter, Bronny’s game has spoken volumes over the past two seasons. One way to view him is to simply recite that he is currently ranked 28th on the ESPN basketball recruiting rankings. But that is far away from telling a complete picture. Bronny played for the now infamous Blue Chips AAU team while he was in middle school. On that same team was Mikey Williams. At that point, Mikey set the media on fire becoming one of the most popular amateur basketball players in the country. But four years later, Mikey and many other lesser known players have either fallen, or not budged in their recruitment rankings. And Bronny has continued to climb.

Bronny understand how to compete through adversity

Bronny’s ascension as a McDonald’s All American was almost inconceivable to scouts two years ago. There was concern about his size, that he might not grow close to his dad’s 6’8 frame. The narrative was also created that he had only played with top talent, and was not the best player on hardly any of the teams he played for. But the truth is that Division 1 college basketball, and the NBA of course are filled with talented players. Moreover, the scrutiny that comes with being LeBron James Jr. has caused cameras to flash literally any time he touches the court and a scoreboard is turned on. Bronny has already been trained to tune out the noise of reporters, media, and spectators because without developing such a skill, he likely would have already quit basketball.

 Add to this that Bronny has already recovered from surgery on a torn meniscus in high school, and you can see how determined he is to reach his potential. As someone who has rehabbed a completely torn Achilles, I know first-hand how hard it is to come back from major surgery and compete. And Bronny has not only competed since but only improved his performance, showcasing more athleticism and a deeper variety of skills than he did prior to going under the knife

Bronny is a team player 

The negative knock on Bronny’s high powered youth and high school teams, is only a negative for those who don’t see the entire picture. Being on teams with players like Amari Bailey have forced Bronny to develop his game against some of the best talents in the country on a day to day basis. And what we have seen across his high school career, is that Bronny makes plays to ultimately help his team win basketball games. Already a strong outside shooter, Bronny rarely plays out of control. He has lead guard ability that is patient yet aggressive. And he is now considered to be one of the best two way guards in all of high school basketball. Though he may not be on track to grow much taller, he has great size for a point guard and has contributed to a top high school program from the moment he was a freshman.

Bronny knows how to win 

The point of any basketball team is to win games, and Bronny helps any coach achieve that goal. As a rotation player since his freshman year, Sierra Canyon boys basketball has only lost 11 games throughout his first 3 years of high school. And this year as a senior they have 19 wins to 5 losses, along with being the 33rd ranked team in the nation. Bronny has been playing crunch time minutes in nationally televised games, since his freshman year matchup against Saint Vincent Saint Mary’s, his father’s old high school. And performing well overall in those moments. In all likelihood Bronny could be the leading scorer on almost any high school program in the country, and could have made a run to break state scoring records almost anywhere in the country. But the plan for him has clearly been to contribute to winning, so the results speak for themselves.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of where you stand on the GOAT debate, Bronny’s father has competed at a higher level for a longer amount of time than any basketball player in the modern era. A feat he only has achieved because he continues to find facets of his game to improve, and then capitalizes on the opportunity to work on it. Bronny has already started doing that, his track record proves it. And LeBron James famously didn’t go to college at all, but Bronny is not his father. And it’s about time we put some respect on his name. Because it doesn’t really matter so much what ESPN recruiting has to say about it, since their scouts are not in the business of predicting the future. But by the time he gets on campus, he will probably already be one of the best freshman basketball players in the nation. And whatever coach he plays for will be blessed that Bronny chose them. And I promise that the NBA will be taking notice.

KNOW THE GAME. WIN THE GAME.

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