It’s easy to dismiss the attention to Bronny James’ high school career as a byproduct of his father LeBron James’ popularity. But that isn’t the case.
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The 16-year-old high school sophomore will shortly be entering the junior year of his HS career. This will be a crucial, make-or-break year for him – draft scouts will review his skillset and his shortcomings with a fine-toothed comb.
Many, many young basketball players would succumb to this sort of scrutiny and pressure. But then, Bronny isn’t like most players of his age. His oldest basketball coaches can all attest to Bronny’s understanding of basketball and his skill levels.
Donyell Love has coached Bronny for over a decade now, overseeing his progress through youth basketball.
“It’s surreal, but it’s not. Looking at Bronny not as family, but as a coach, because of the knowledge of the game that he had at age 4, even not LeBron — if we eliminate his father, now I’m looking at him as a coach, and I knew he was going to be successful. He was too smart at an early age.”
“Sometimes basketball you either got it, you learn it, or you don’t. Mentally that’s hard to teach. That has to be natural. He has a lot of natural abilities and I saw that from an early age, absolutely.”
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“That’s why he’s LeBron James Jr. and not LeBron James”: Bronny James’ coach has high praise for him
There’s a tendency to dismiss much of the coverage around Bronny as just a part of the LeBron aura. Love confirms that his bloodline is indeed responsible for the attention he gets, but in his eyes, Bronny has put in the work to deserve it as well:
“People know him from his name, his family. The background with what LeBron has done here in Ohio and beyond is amazing for the game, but to see a young man with such maturation at such a young age I think is amazing.”
“And just how selfless he is on the court. He’s willing to set up his teammates versus getting a basket himself. He definitely leads by example in that nature.”
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“That’s why he’s LeBron James Jr. and not LeBron James. He’s his own person and Bronny is going to make a name for himself, and I hope people recognize that. Bron set a path for Bronny, and it’s up to Bronny to go and finish that path for himself. I believe that he can do it.”
