Recruiting Expert Sheds Light on Where Things Stand With Bronny James

LeBron James has been a national celebrity since the middle of his high school career. Because of his nearly unprecedented success in the NBA, the same is true of his oldest son.

Bronny James, who’s heading into his senior year at Sierra Canyon High in Chatsworth, Calif., has been a household name for some time now. As he inches closer toward college, speculation surrounding his basketball recruitment continues to heat up—though at least one recruiting analyst has a difficult time picturing the younger James ever lacing up his sneakers for a college basketball program.

“Now, one question I’ve been getting this week—both in the gym and over the Twittersphere … who’s recruiting Bronny James?” said Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports. "Well, I don't know that anybody's really recruiting Bronny James. I think the perception is that Bronny James is not going to play college basketball. That is not fact by any stretch. But as you sit in a college coaches’ section and you just kind of hear what coaches are saying about this, I haven’t heard anyone who’s said, ‘Yeah, we’re making a hard push for Bronny.’”

James is currently ranked as the No. 52 prospect for the 2023 class by 247Sports. Finkelstein, who watched James play at the Nike Peach Jam event in South Carolina this week, said James has showcased his potential and is “trending in the right direction,” expecting to see his recruiting ranking rise going forward.

Still, he does not have an official offer listed on his recruitment page, which is not a reflection of his play but rather the general belief that his intention is to ultimately bypass college on his way to the NBA.

“I think everybody is in agreement that he is a good player who can impact winning pretty much from day one at the college level. I just think the perception—although we haven’t heard anything definitive at all out of Bronny’s camp—is that he is not likely to play college basketball,” Finkelstein said. “So we will see if that changes in the coming weeks and months. But right now, I have not spoken to any college coaches that think they have a good chance of landing him or even think that it’s an especially worthwhile endeavor in terms of recruiting him.”