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Bronny James is the last top 50 player in the high school class of 2023 to make his college decision.
It looks like we won’t be waiting much longer.
Luca Evans of the Los Angeles Times reported James has narrowed down his picks to Ohio, USC and Oregon states and will make a final decision at the end of the season in Sierra Canyon.
All three schools obviously fit, albeit for different reasons. Ohio State would allow Bronny to carve out the college legacy his father never did and return to his native state to play for the Buckeyes. LeBron James has said multiple times that he would have visited Ohio State if he had been compelled to play college basketball for a year before entering the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers star recently told the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike that he feels like an “honorary” Ohio State graduate.
USC would allow Bronny James to stay home in Los Angeles while he plays college basketball, giving him the advantage of high-level basketball and comfort. The James family has spent almost all of their time in Los Angeles since LeBron signed with the Lakers in 2018, splitting time between LA and Ohio during his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Bronny wants to stay close to his family, USC should be the favorite.
However, Oregon is an interesting wild card that may have the greatest asset of all: Nike money. Bronny James signed a NIL deal with Nike last October, and Oregon counts Nike founder Phil Knight as its biggest booster. If forging his own path is what Bronny wants from his college experience, he could choose Oregon to broaden his horizons outside of the home (while staying on the West Coast) and avoid the potential shadow that LeBron cast in of Ohio basketball history.
Ohio State and USC also have apparel deals with Nike.
According to 247Sports composite rankings, Bronny James is ranked #36 in the 2023 class.