Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron, has opted not to take advice he received from LaVar Ball about the next step in his basketball career.
Ball, the father of Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo and Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo, had previously told Bronny to not join a college and instead move to the National Basketball League in Australia like his son. LaMelo spent a year with Illawarra Hawks before moving to Charlotte in 2020.
LaMelo would go on to win the NBA rookie of the year, and later be an NBA All-Star in 2022. His father, LaVar, recently advised Bronny to follow a similar path to his son rather than to go to a US college – but he has now committed to the University of Southern California.
“You playing against grown men and you getting paid,” Ball said last month. “If you want to play basketball and you really that dude, why am I sitting in class trying to pass a chemistry test?
“I don’t wanna play no chemistry. I don’t wanna practice no Spanish. No! I wanna wake up, go practice, go back to sleep, go practice, have a game, practice. That’s all I wanna do. I don’t wanna be like, ‘Hey, I’ll meet you in the student union for study hall.’”
Bronny this week announced on his Instagram page to his 7.1million followers that he will join University of Southern Carolina. Bronny recently completed his senior season of high school basketball at Sierra Canyon, and is widely tipped to make it to the NBA.
Lakers legend LeBron has openly stated that it’s his intention to keep playing so that he can share the court with his son. Bronny, 18, is considered by many to be one of the best point guards in his class at high school, and was also linked with Ohio State and Oregon before committing to USC.
Under NBA rules, players must wait until at least one year after their class graduates high school before they are eligible to be drafted. This means that the earliest that Bronny would be able to play in the NBA is in the 2024/25 season, when LeBron would be turning 40-years-old.
Bronny was advised by LaVar Ball to go pro in Australia instead of going to college ( Image: Gregory Payan/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
LeBron admitted recently that his goal to play with his son will be dependent on keeping his body fit, as well it being what Bronny himself wants, too.
“I was serious,” said LeBron. “And I’m still serious about it. Obviously, I’ve got to continue to keep my body and my mind fresh, I think my mind most importantly.
“But at the end of the day, I’ve done what I had to do in this league, and my son is going to take his journey.
“Just because it’s my aspiration [to play together] doesn’t mean it’s his, and I’m absolutely OK with that. My job is just to support my son in whatever he wants to do.
“One thing about being a parent is it’s not always about what you want. It’s about listening to your kids and what they want, and that’s when you get a real relationship.”
