Duke Basketball: Son of NBA Veteran Wants to Play for Blue Devils

Windermere Prep (Fla.) shooting guard Brandon Bass Jr. is the son of former 12-year NBA forward Brandon Bass, who starred for two seasons at LSU before getting drafted at No. 33 overall by the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2005. But the younger Bass, a rising high school sophomore, sounds like more of a Duke basketball fan.

And according to the 2026 recruit's chat with 247Sports' Travis Branham this week, one of last season's one-and-done talents in Durham, Montverde Academy (Fla.) alum Dariq Whitehead, is one reason Bass likes the Blue Devils so much — to the extent of suggesting Duke would be his college of choice.

"My dream school is Duke because I know a bunch of people from Montverde, and they go to Duke," the 6-foot-3, 170-pound sharpshooting lefty explained to Branham. "I know Dariq Whitehead, and he went to Duke, and I want to go to Duke too. It's a big school with a bunch of NBA players."

Windermere Prep defeats Eagle’s Landing 41-38 in sudden death Double OT. The game-winning 3 comes from Brandon Bass Jr., who was huge down the stretch. He scored their final 10 points of the game. @BrandonBassJr pic.twitter.com/1phgBnVo11
— Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14) June 16, 2023

By this time last year, Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer had already extended offers to three 2025 prospects, including five-star small forward Cooper Flagg, who now attends Montverde. However, Scheyer and his staff have not officially entered the fray yet for any players on the 2026 recruiting trail.

Brandon Bass Jr. sure seems deserving of a look from the Blue Devils.

As Branham noted, Bass is one of the top perimeter weapons in his class and should see his name when 247Sports' 2026 ranking debuts.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting news.