At one time Bryce James had the highest NIL among his peers, but it looks like a thing of the past. Bryce, at one point in time, was leading the high school NIL race before he started suffering setbacks from Cooper Flagg, who suddenly got to $1.4 million in NIL. While Flagg by then had committed to the Duke Blue Devils, it was shocking for Bryce since it was alleged that the reason behind Bryce’s high NIL was his father, LeBron James.

Many consider LeBron James to be the greatest player to ever take the court. Hence, when his younger son Bryce started playing basketball, the media houses turned all their attention to him. However, Bryce’s basketball skills are still a work in progress. But that did not stop his fans from following him on social media and making him a household name. Thus, when the NIL was started, Bryce started getting a lot of offers. His NIL value was at the top of the high school basketball players’ list. However, with a recent move by AJ Dybantsa, Bryce has lost his high school crown.

AJ Dybantsa roars in style

AJ Dybantsa attends the Utah Prep School and is the number one player in the 2025 class. The Brockton-born has 432K followers on social media platforms, with 64% on Instagram. He occupies the top place in the high school basketball players’ NIL list and the fourteenth in the NIL 100 with a value of $1.9 million. Although he didn’t have such high NIL before Friday.

Dybantsa, till Thursday, had an NIL value of 951K, but the next day it rose to $1.9 million. The small forward has already attracted over 30 offers from colleges, making him one of the most sought-after athletes, as he narrows down his list to choose from Alabama, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Auburn, BYU, and North Carolina.

Field of 86 podcast host Jeff Goodman opined in one of his episodes that Dybantsa might change the way recruitment happens in college. “He’s gonna get a ton of money, like a ton of money… Somewhere in the, it could be $7 to $9 million range, next year, are the numbers I’m hearing right now.” Goodman revealed.

And if Goodman’s prediction comes true, then Dybantsa will match the rookie salary for a number-four pick in the NBA draft. And perhaps it is this unmatched demand for his talent that might have propelled an unprecedented rise in his numbers. However, he has completely shaken Bryce off his throne.

Bryce James continues to suffer

The year hasn’t been one of the best for Bryce James. Previously, he was trumped by Flagg in his own game, as mentioned before, and now Dybantsa has overtaken him. However, these are not the only two athletes to give a reality check to Bryce. In fact, he stands in fifth place in the high school NIL ranks behind Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Nate Ament.

Right now, Bryce stands the closest to Ament who also has an NIL value of $1.3 million. One thing that goes in Bryce’s favor is that he has a huge social media following, approximately a total of 3.4 million. And therefore, if he wants to bounce back then he should be looking to lure brands by capitalizing on his social media popularity. But one thing that doesn’t look in his favor is his performance.

When Bryce made the high school circuit, fans compared his court vision and scoring skills to those of LeBron James. But over time, he failed to make the kind of impact that was expected of him. Thus, as of now, Bryce should look to make a difference with his balling skills which will prompt brands to sign more deals with him and eventually might get him back his NIL crown.