LeBron James says Bronny is already better than some NBA players — here is how the prince is moving out of the king's shadow

The four-time NBA champion, four-time league MVP, and 19-time All-Star is officially the NBA's all-time scoring champion, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's points record in February 2023. 

He is the player most often mentioned along with Michael Jordan in the debate over NBA GOAT.

LeBron is one of the first athletes to become a billionaire. In addition to his growing off-court ventures, he has made $432 million during his 20-year NBA career. He also signed a two-year, $97 million extension with the Lakers, which will give him $141 million over the next three years and make him the highest-earning player in the history of the NBA.

Bronny (next to LeBron) recently celebrated his senior night with his younger brother, Bryce; his mom, Savannah; and little sister, Zhuri.

Bronny is reportedly considering three different Division I programs — all sponsored by Nike, of course — for his collegiate basketball career: 1) USC, which is close to his LA home, friends, and family; 2) Ohio State, Akron-native LeBron's favorite school; and 3) Oregon, which has the strongest ties to Nike, with CEO Phil Knight a major booster.

While a dark horse school could still emerge, Duke is not on the list, even though they had long been considered a favorite to land Bronny James due to LeBron James' admiration of famed coach Mike Krzyzewski. In 2018, LeBron defended Coach K from criticism with a social media comment that read: "Love Coach K! The absolute BEST! Hope he's still at the helm when my boy comes up."

Unfortunately for Duke, though, Krzyzewski retired after the 2021-22 season, and the currently unranked Blue Devils no longer appear to be candidates.

"I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny," James told ESPN. "Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him. I don't mean like [guarding one another all game] — because he's a point guard and I'm a, at this point now I'm playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure."

—LeBron James (@KingJames) March 7, 2023

The game brought the families full-circle as LeBron and Melo were drafted in the same year and later played together for Team USA and the Lakers. While Anthony is a free agent, he was still hoping to play during the 2022-23 season, making him the only player from that legendary draft still active in the NBA. 

The James Gang won the game.

Before the most recent projections, there was some thought that younger brother Bryce might turn out to be the better hooper. One advantage he has is that he is already taller than Bronny despite being three years younger than his 18-year-old sibling.

—Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) January 14, 2023

Bronny is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard in his senior season at Sierra Canyon High School, just outside Los Angeles, and is ranked No. 28 in ESPN's Class of 2023. He is one of only two players in the top 60 yet to commit to a school.

A recent consensus of NBA experts, college coaches, and talent evaluators seemed to believe that he was already an elite defender, who shows flashes of brilliance on the offensive end but was too inconsistent to be a team's primary scoring threat. While he might not be done growing, his NBA future was considered to be as a role player or a reserve, one specializing on the defensive end and supplements at the other end.

—Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) December 1, 2022

In one ESPN mock draft, Jonathan Givony raised eyebrows by predicting Bronny would land at No. 10 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Givony says the overall draft class is considered "weak."

"James has earned his spot in lottery conversations with the significant jump he has made ... developing into arguably the best perimeter defender in his high school class while making strides in his perimeter shooting and playmaking ability," Givony wrote. "James has grown, filled out his frame, found another gear with his explosiveness and become an absolute terror off the ball defensively thanks to his outstanding intensity and feel for the game."

Jordan's two sons, Marcus and Jeffrey, both played Division I college basketball, but neither was ever a serious NBA prospect. 

The cover echoed the famous "Chosen One" cover of a high school-aged LeBron, as seen on the shirt he is wearing. 

But is the hype too much? According to Luca Evans of the LA Times, who followed Bronny closely during his senior season, "Bronny James is great, in his own way. And for many, that will never be enough."

Twenty years after LeBron Sr. played in the McDonald's All-American game, LeBron Jr. did the same. 

—Neal (@Lighteregg) December 7, 2017

LeBron owns two LA mansions, and it is not clear which one the family lives in, but they are both pretty nice. 

Although, the classic do-we-have-to-take-a-picture face on Bronny suggests that part is not too fabulous. 

Of all the advantages Bronny might have, the biggest is that he can play one-on-one against one of the best basketball players ever and do it in his own driveway.

LeBron is a relentless worker and seems to have passed that on to Bronny. That also appears to have helped the younger James to move up the draft boards while his peers haven't. 

Recent rules changes allow high school and college athletes to be paid for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without losing NCAA eligibility. Bronny already has a deal with Nike.

"For as long as I can remember, Nike's been a part of my family," The younger James said. "Getting a chance to team up with them and continue my family's legacy both on the court and in the community is wild — it really means a lot to me."

LeBron signed with Nike after graduating from high school and now even has a building named after him on their Beaverton, Oregon campus.

On3's NIL rankings give Bronny an NIL value of $7.4 million, tops on their list and more than twice as much as the next athletes, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne ($3.5 million). James has 12.8 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok. 

He starred alongside his dad in this promotion for PlayStation and the game, "God of War: Ragnorak."

In 2008, LeBron James became the first athlete to partner with Beats by Dre. 

That's something his dad didn't do in high school. 

Lebron recently surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's scoring king, and Bronny was there filming it like most other fans. Soon Bronny will be adding to the family's scoring legacy.