LeBron James Hyped After Son Bryce's Dagger Bucket to Secure California State Title

Sierra Canyon won the California Division I championship Friday.
Bryce James, the son of NBA player LeBron James, stands with his teammates by the bench before the game between Sierra Canyon and Bartlett High School during Memphis Hoopfest.
Bryce James, the son of NBA player LeBron James, stands with his teammates by the bench before the game between Sierra Canyon and Bartlett High School during Memphis Hoopfest. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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LeBron James sat courtside as he watched his son Bryce help Sierra Canyon win the California state Division I championship Friday night. In a close game with just seconds remaining, Bryce got the ball under a crowded basket and muscled his way into a huge and-one bucket to put his team up five with just 17 seconds left.

The crowd at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento went wild, but nobody loved it more than LeBron. The NBA's all-time scoring leader was so excited he nearly ran onto the court as he pumped his fists and flexed in a true proud dad moment.

The bucket provided Bryce's only points on the night, finishing with three points, five rebounds and two assists on just 1-for-9 shooting from the field. But the sole basket came at the right time, helping Sierra Canyon hold onto a 58-53 win.

LeBron is currently sidelined with a groin injury for his Los Angeles Lakers, which freed up his schedule to travel to Sacramento for his son's big moment. The Lakers lost 131-125 to the Denver Nuggets on Friday while LeBron's other son, Bronny, played 16 minutes and scored five points for L.A.

Bryce committed to Arizona in early January as part of the Wildcats' 2025 recruiting class. He ends his playing career at Sierra Canyon with a state title and a big bucket at the right time, channeling his dad's clutch gene.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.