Bronny James is at least two years away from the NBA, and with everything on the table for him, he has some major decisions to make regarding his short-term future after high school.
The senior is set to play his last year at Sierra Canyon before graduating high school. What he will do after that, is a mystery.
According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, LeBron James’ older son has three options and any of them will suffice, but he still has to choose.
The three different paths that lie in front of Bronny are college (presumably D1), a quick year with the G League Ignite program, or a stint in the NBL league in Australia.
While this goes without saying, any one of these options for Bronny will not stop him from getting to the NBA (barring injury), and he will be a highly anticipated prospect going into the 2024 NBA draft.
Lebron declared that he will look to be on whatever team Bronny gets drafted to in 2024 to play out his last season. James might as well buy his son a first-class ticket to an NBA roster in order for teams to acquire the four-time MVP’s services.
While Bronny is not the most coveted high school player, he’s always on the radar of any pre-NBA organization. His unselfish playing style, mixed with his lockdown defense, is something that all teams admire, and when you blend that in with his genetics, scouts and coaches are salivating at the idea of being able to plug him into a system and develop his game.
Bronny fell to 50th on 247sports ranking of the class of 2023, and while that’s for plenty of reasons, he will still be sought after by multiple colleges, and will be eligible for either the G League or the NBL.
Analyzing these moves, on the other hand, is much more tricky, because while Bronny is a sure thing to make the NBA, choosing the correct path to the league may prove to be a tougher challenge because playing against different levels of competition in different leagues can change his draft stock for better or worse.
Ultimately it’s up to Bronny to decide where he wants to go after he finishes high school. His dad has hinted at his desire for Bronny to play at Duke, but that might not be the case anymore considering that James wanted his son to play for his former Olympics coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
The legendary coach stepped away from the game this past season and now leaves the reins of the Blue Devils in the hands Jon Scheyer, whom Lebron James probably isn’t too familiar with.
There were even rumors that he might play one year at an HBCU.
Don’t Be Surprised If Bronny James Plays His One Year Of College At An HBCU
Bronny right now has no official college offers, but it is expected he will begin receiving some once his senior season begins. He has named Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and UNC as his favored destinations should he play collegiate basketball.
Playing in the G League Ignite also would help him gain experience and inch closer to the NBA. Players like Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Jaden Hardy, and more have seen success in the G League and have translated that success into a spot on an NBA roster.
Kuminga is already an NBA champion. There’s no telling how successful the G League route could be for Bronny should he choose it.
It would surprise many if Bronny took the Melo Ball route and played in the NBL league in Australia. Ball, who was taken with the second pick of the draft and is now the franchise superstar that Michael Jordan will build his team around, sharpened his man skills in the NBL. It wouldn’t hurt for Bronny to play ball in the NBL and maybe find similar success that way.
Bronny will have some tough choices to make, but luckily he will have the best basketball player in the world to help him make this decision.
Before all of these alternative post-high school leagues became popular going to college was a no-brainer, but with this new era of basketball nothing’s off the table for Bronny.
