Bryce James is a high school player at Sierra Canyon. Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
When news broke earlier this month that Bryce James had signed on to play basketball at the University of Arizona in the fall, many wondered: Who is Bryce James? For a family that seemed to promote their eldest son Bronny early and often, to find out that parents LeBron and Savannah James also have another son who is a talented athlete may have surprised some of even the most ardent NBA followers. Let’s explore the young career of the budding star, whose high school regular season career winds down this week.
Born on 14 June 2007, in Cleveland, Ohio, right around the time LeBron was playing in his first NBA finals, Bryce is the middle child in the James family. He is seven years older than his sister Zhuri (who already boasts more national television commercials than Bryce) and three years younger than brother Bronny. The two brothers, however, play much different positions. The 6ft 2in Bronny, who made his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season, is a defensive-minded point guard. Bryce, who looks far more like a typical NBA player at 6ft 6in, is a slashing shooting guard with a slick jumper and strong finishing skills at the rim.
A senior today, Bryce plays for the same high school as Bronny: the prestigious Los Angeles-area Sierra Canyon, despite bouncing around a few other schools over the past few years. About halfway through the year, with offers in hand from colleges such as Ohio State, USC and Duquesne (which gave him his first D-1 offer when he was 15), Bryce signed to play at Arizona. LeBron praised the decision after a recent Lakers game, while also poking fun at former teammates and Arizona alums, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.
“It was his decision to make,” LeBron said a few days after Bryce announced the news on Instagram. “He went where he felt comfortable. Coach [Tommy] Lloyd, straight shooter, gave him exactly what they believe in him or what they thought about him as a player and as a person. We’re happy to be part of the Bear Down community now. Got some terrible friends…
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