Bryce James knows what Bronny James has had to go through to make it to the NBA more than virtually anybody.
Bronny, eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA superstar combo forward LeBron James, was selected with the No. 55 pick in this June’s 2024 NBA Draft. Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during a preseason Galen Center workout, which ultimately delayed his freshman debut with the USC Trojans by a month. When he did suit up, the 6-foot-2 point guard struggled on both sides of the ball.
Across 25 contests as a reserve behind starters Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier, the 19-year-old averaged 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals a night for the 15-18 Trojans. Nevertheless, he was drafted ahead of Ellis, who is currently on a probable Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Sacramento Kings after going unselected.
During a recent episode of Uninterrupted’s “Top Class Hoops” YouTube series, Bronny’s younger brother Bryce expressed his enthusiasm for seeing his big brother get drafted to suit up alongside their dad.
“You know, it’s a great feeling, knowing that my brother — the journey that he’s had — came that far, from the cardiac arrest, to all the difficulties that he’s had in his career, college. It’s amazing, seeing him play with his dad,” Bryce James said.
“I’ve always looked at him, of course he’s my big brother, it was definitely a great experience just seeing how far he’s [come], the journey that he had to go through,” Bryce continued. “Being in the gym with him is always a good time, then also, off the court, being around him, being with him, it’s all surreal.”
Bryce James is a senior at Bronny’s high school alma mater, Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is currently ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, whose composite rankings list him as the No. 156-best national prospect among his graduating class. Bryce currently is fielding college offers from Duquesne, coached by LeBron’s former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammate Dru Joyce III, and Ohio State. Bryce also has had reported interest from USC, though no offer has been reported as of this writing.
Bronny James, a raw, defense-first prospect, is expected to log a lot of his rookie NBA season with the Lakers’ G League affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers.
