LeBron James’ two sons, Bronny and Bryce, are poised to be part of the next generation of the NBA. And Bronny, LeBron’s eldest son, who turns 19 in October, took his first step towards that future by committing to play for the USC Trojans this fall on May 7.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the King’s two sons, how they’re already forces to be reckoned with in basketball, and how their dad has supported them every step of the way.
LeBron, 38, has been playing in the NBA since he was drafted in 2003 to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the age of 18. Since then, he’s racked up title after title, MVP after MVP, multiple All-Star appearances, and broken dozens of records.
LeBron is actually a billionaire. Insider previously reported that, between $90 million in endorsements each year and his $532 million in earnings over the last 20 years, he’s become one of the wealthiest athletes of all time.
The future Mr. and Mrs. James met in 2002 while they were both in high school, and they had their first date at an Outback Steakhouse. They got engaged in 2011 and married in 2013.
Zhuri might follow in his footsteps too, but she’s only 8 years old at the moment.
On March 6, 2023, the Lakers star tweeted, “Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching on league pass today,” calling it “lightweight hilarious.”
His sons have been there for every big decision LeBron has had to make in his career.
LeBron was just 19 years old when his first son was born, while his then-girlfriend Savannah was 18.
The James family moved from Ohio to Miami, Florida, in 2010 when Bronny was 6. They moved back to Cleveland in 2014 when Bronny was 10, before making a final move to the Los Angeles area in 2018 when Bronny was 14, right before he began his high school basketball career.
LeBron posted a video of Bronny playing basketball in 2014 on Twitter, when Bronny was 10 years old. He added, “Proud of you son! Great job in Houston and congrats on bringing home 1st place.”
It was picked up by various news outlets, including ABC, who wrote Bronny was “pretty good at basketball, too.”
Bronny transferred to Sierra Canyon, a private K-12 school in Chatsworth, a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles, for his freshman year in 2019.
Even in the very beginning of his career at Sierra Canyon, the hype was real for Bronny. Sports photographer Cassy Athena told The Washington Post, “A lot of the high school guys are more famous than the NBA players. If I post a picture of Bronny, a lot of times it will get more traction than the NBA players.”
He was classified as a four-star recruit (out of five stars), meaning that he was in high demand for any NCAA program.
As Insider’s Cork Gaines reported in January, scouts believed Bronny is “an elite defender” who shows “flashes of brilliance on the offensive end,” but could end up most likely being a role player or a reserve, as opposed to a record-breaking scorer like his dad.
Bronny finally made a decision on May 7 and announced his commitment to USC, playing for the Division I Trojans. That means he’ll be just down the road from his family and his dad’s team, the Lakers.
ESPN reported that Bronny had offers from the University of Kentucky, the University of Memphis, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Oregon, and USC.
As Insider reported previously, the three colleges he reportedly considered most seriously were Ohio State (his and his dad’s home state), USC (which is close to his family’s home now), and Oregon, which has close ties to Nike — a brand that both Bronny and LeBron have strong relationships with.
Of course, he ended up choosing USC.
Bronny’s final game as a Sierra Canyon Trailblazer ended up being a loss. His team lost to the Sherman Oaks school Notre Dame in the Southern California Division-I Regional Final on March 7.
He only scored 10 points, though Sporting News said he “attacked the glass with an attitude and rebounds extremely well.”
The All-American game is an all-star game between high school graduates, separated into two teams: East and West.
His dad played for the East, and he was named MVP upon the team’s win against the West in 2003.
Up until late 2020, student athletes were unable to profit from their name, image, or likeness, without losing their NCAA eligibility — this was a controversial rule, with many critics calling college sports programs exploitative, as they made money off the athletes while the athletes were unable to make any money themselves.
But now the rule has changed and Bronny is taking advantage. He signed a deal with Nike in October 2022, following in his father’s footsteps.
Bronny also promotes Beats By Dre and has his own personal line of underwear.
You can watch the ad for the video game here.
On his account, he mainly posts photos and videos of himself playing basketball, hanging out with his family, or sponsored content.
“My last year will be played with my son,” LeBron told The Athletic in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
Bryce transferred to Sierra Canyon the same year his brother did. He’s wrapping up his freshman year now.
LeBron was 22 when his second son was born, right before Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Championship. According to ESPN, Bryce’s middle name, Maximus, came from the 2000 film “Gladiator,” which is LeBron’s favorite. The hero of the film, played by Russell Crowe, is named Maximus.
Unfortunately, the Cavaliers lost the finals that year.
Bryce is reportedly 6 foot 6, which puts him above his 6-foot-2 older brother, and he’s only 15. There’s a solid chance he could catch up to his 6-foot-9 father.
Bryce received his first offer before his first high school basketball season really began. Duquesne University is a small Catholic university in Pennsylvania, though it is a Division I school.
It remains unlikely that’s where Bryce ends up by 2025.
He has just four posts on his grid, and they’re all about basketball.
“There are people who told me that Bryce actually might be the better prospect amongst the two,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in 2022, according to Bleacher Report.
