Ohio State May Not Have Room for Bronny James in ’23 Class, per Report

Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron James and a four-star basketball prospect in the 2023 class, is starting to see his recruitment open up. Earlier this month, he took his most public recruiting visit yet, attending a football game at Ohio State, his father’s home state school and favorite collegiate program.

James wore a Buckeyes men’s basketball uniform during the trip, drawing a proud reaction from his father, who made sure to note that his son was not committed to the program. During that trip, recruiting website On3 reported that James still had a standing scholarship offer from the program.

A new commitment to Chris Holtmann’s program may complicate matters, should James ultimately want to head to Columbus for the next step in his hoops career. 

Taison Chatman, a four-star guard who made his official visit to Ohio State on the same weekend as James, announced his commitment to the program on Tuesday. According to Eleven Warriors, an online publication that covers the Buckeyes exclusively, that likely puts a close on the team’s 2023 recruiting class, and could leave James without a spot.

“Despite the excitement surrounding the recruitment of four-star guard Bronny James… a source told Eleven Warriors that Chatman is likely to be the final high school recruit in Ohio State’s 2023 class,” Griffin Strom reported Tuesday. 

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Chatman is the fourth member of Ohio State’s class, joining forwards Scotty Middleton and Devin Royal and center Austin Parks.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, especially with the increasing use of the transfer portal and the generally transient nature of college basketball rosters. However, if James is set to make a decision sometime in the coming months, the Buckeyes may not have an obvious spot for him according to this report.

After speculation James could explore professional options like G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or leagues overseas, LeBron and his wife Savannah recently confirmed to Sports Illustrated that their son will likely take the college route before attempting to make the NBA, where his father hopes to play with him before his eventual retirement.

Memphis, Oregon and USC are among the other programs connected to James as he enters his senior year of high school.

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