Four-star guard Bronny James, the oldest son of Lakers legend LeBron James and the top uncommitted player in the Class of 2023, announced Saturday that he has committed to USC. The No. 26 player in the class, according to 247Sports, James ended his extended recruitment by choosing the Trojans over Ohio State and Oregon.
Saturday’s commitment caps what has been a successful month for James, who showed out at the annual Nike Hoop Summit in Portland while participating in his final games as a high school player last month.
Where James would land has long been the subject of intense interest as he’s blossomed over the years from a big name with a big pedigree into a legitimate NBA prospect and one of the more tantalizing talents in his classification. James was long expected to be seriously considering a move straight from the preps to the pros in the early stages of his high school career, but in recent months, the college route seemed the more likely choice.
James has been a star at Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles. Coupled with LeBron continuing to star for the Lakers, playing at USC was a logical one for James from a geographic standpoint.
James’ finalists were all Nike schools with various ties to both him and his father. Ohio State landed him on a visit and has long been considered his father’s favorite collegiate program — LeBron is from Akron, Ohio — while Oregon is a major Nike player whose alumni list includes Nike founder Phil Knight, who has already signed James to an NIL deal.
The younger James debuted in 2020 as a top-30 player in his class before sliding all the way to No. 55 in 247Sports’ rankings last summer. However, that was the bottom end of the yo-yo for him; he has steadily climbed back up boards after a strong fall and spring. 247Sports ranked him back inside the top-40 by the end of 2022 and now has him sitting 26th nationally as the sixth-best player at his…
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