Despite having 5x more social media followers than the combined four platforms of his rival, Bryce James is unable to reclaim the top spot. Currently, being number 5th as per the On3 High School Basketball NIL Rankings, the youngest son of LeBron James was once not only at the top of this list but also in the top 15 NIL athletes in all sports. And the person at the top of the High School list recently gained a few more bucks to his valuation to stronghold the position. It’s none other than the projected 2026 first-overall NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa.

Just a few days ago, the Utah Prep School star bumped up his NIL value from $2.05 million to $2.2 million. The young five-star hooper now has touched the $2.4 million in valuation. In the past 10 weeks, it has seen $362k growth, a whopping 18%. On3 shows his most recent increase to be $89k. It’s no surprise since he has collaborated with Nike and Red Bull. Interestingly, for the energy drink brand, he is the first men’s basketball player to sign a NIL deal in the history of the brand’s existence.

After joining the Red Bull family, Dybantsa did not shy away from already promoting himself and the brand. “The partnership was right there, like, Red Bull gives you wings, and I can for sure fly, so it’s a special partnership,” he told Swish Culture.

What’s surprising is that there is no change in valuation for Bryce James. The Sierra Canyon star’s last Instagram post is a brand post for Taco Bell. With his overall 3.4 million social media followers (2.1 m on Instagram, 1.3 TikTok, 17.5k X), he is behind only 7 athletes in the top 100 athletes list. Livvy Dunne (13.6 million), Flau’jae Johnson (3.7 m), Paige Bueckers (5.1 m), Hansel Enmanuel (4.4 m), Sam Hurley (4.9m) Haley Cavinder (5.3 m), and Hanna Cavinder (5.3 m).

Seemingly, being the youngest son of LeBron is not helping to increase his valuation as per On3. And in the top 100 lists, he slides down to No. 38, although there is no reason available on the website for AJ Dybantsa’s rise or Bryce James’ stagnancy. However, some reports suggest that the Ohio native’s basketball skills are not at the levels of his peers, ultimately affecting his Name, Image, and Likeness.

Considering only the basketball athletes list, he is the only 3-star athlete in the top 10 rankings. And from the basketball players who have more than $1 million in valuation, Bryce James and Kiyan Anthony are the only two who are not five-star recruits. However, with so much discussion about Dybantsa leading the NIL charge, how exactly did he surpass King James’ son?

How AJ Dybantsa’s toppled Bryce James

Until the middle of October, the 6-foot-9 forward did not break the $1 million mark. With a NIL value of 951K, the next day, $1.9 million, one reason being his on-court skills. After all, he received 30 offers from colleges, and currently, his home state, BYU, is in the lead, closely followed by Alabama, Baylor, Kansas State, Auburn, and North Carolina.

“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.” Field of 86 podcast host Jeff Goodman confidently stated the rise of Dybantsa on his podcast. Just a few days ago, the 17-year-old featured for Nike. NBA star Kevin Durant had the pleasure of introducing Nike’s next generation of NIL basketball athletes.

AJ Dybantsa, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Jerzy Robinson, and Jasmine Davidson are all part of the 2024 Nike NIL roster. So, how will Bryce James respond? Will he change the critics’ minds with better hooping skills or first he sign with a brand that would probably add to his portfolio? Only time will tell.