Bronny’s Suffering Doesn’t Affect Brother Bryce as LeBron James’ Younger Son Sees Stability Financially

LeBron James‘ oldest son, Bronny, is not exactly having the time of his life. His first college season ended a little underwhelming than he would have liked and the performances on the court affected his record-breaking NIL valuation, which once stood at $5.9 million. However, it looks like his younger brother is making sure spirits remain high in the James household. Bryce James, who is still playing with Sierra Canyon, continues to keep up with his NIL performance along with his on-court talents.

Last year, Bryce’s NIL value stood at $1.19 million and this year it has nudged slightly upwards at $1.2M. The 16-year-old has had a whirlwind few years in terms of school transfers. Similar to his father, who changed teams thrice in his career, the youngest James has switched schools often.

After starting off at Sierra Canyon with his elder brother, Bryce shifted to Campbell Hall School for his sophomore year. In August 2023, he moved to Notre Dame High School but returned to Sierra Canyon for his Junior year having not played a single game for Notre Dame. If things go according to plan, Bryce will be eligible to enter the NBA Draft in 2026.

As per ESPN, the 6’4 guard is ranked 17th in the State, 35th in the region, and 38th positionally and his scout score is 80, making him a 4-star recruit. He has already received offers from Duquesne and Ohio State and there have been rumors he may follow in the footsteps of his brother by moving to USC. He recently starred in the EYBL for Strive For Greatness, as they defeated Why Not by 11 points in Memphis.

So, while Bryce James continues with a steady NIL valuation, his brother has suffered a decline. But he has his father by his side to support him during this tough time.

LeBron James comes out in support of his eldest son

Bronny James had quite a girthy account when it came to NIL last year. In fact, he was rapidly climbing the charts and stood as the leader at $5.9 million in 2023. Some of his endorsements included Nike, Beats by Dre, and PSD Underwear. However, this was the case before he rejoined his team for the 2023-24 campaign. Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest ahead of the season in July but somehow managed to get back on the court, although he hasn’t been able to perform at his previous levels.

His averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and had 0.8 steals in 19.4 minutes per game in his first season at USC while shooting 36.6% from the field and 26.7% from 3. This resulted in his NIL value dropping to $4.7M. Due to the roster and his own continued weak performances, the Trojans did not make it to the March Madness run. Consequently, Bronny James further saw a dip of 5% ($0.26 million), dropping to $4.5 million.

But recently, his NIL value plummeted further. According to On3, after his underwhelming season at USC, his NIL valuation dropped to $3.7 million at the end of the 2023/24 college campaign. Earlier this month, Bronny raised a few eyebrows when he declared for the NBA draft. This led to criticism from some as people claimed that he was NCAA as a fallback plan in case things didn’t workout. However, his father was quick to offer his support.

In a social media post, LeBron James wrote, “Can y’all please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball… The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!,” 

Deion Sanders also came out in support and understood the pressure on him. Incidentally, his son Sheduer Sanders has taken over James in the NIL rankings. The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback stands at $4.6M with just one week of play.

If Bronny ends up getting picked in the NBA draft, there is massive his NIL value will shoot up again. As for Bryce James, he would hope to continue on the steady upward curve.