Jalen Rose Makes Pitch for Bronny James to Play at Michigan

The recruitment of LeBron’s son is starting to take shape.

Entering his senior year at Sierra Canyon High School (Ca.), Bronny James’s recruitment is just starting to heat up. While his father LeBron James is an Ohio native and famously a supporter of Ohio State, Michigan great Jalen Rose thinks he can sway the 2023 prospect to the maize and blue.

Coming on the heels of an ESPN report that James will likely play college ball rather than head to the NBA G League or another similar professional league after high school, Michigan was cited as a team in the mix for the young guard. Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA and USC have also been mentioned as options.

The Wolverines are coached by LeBron’s former Heat teammate Juwan Howard, who was a member of Michigan’s famed Fab Five teams along with Rose. Rose, a longtime ESPN NBA analyst following his 16-year NBA career, believes that can pay big dividends in his alma mater’s recruitment of Bronny.

“First and foremost Bronny, your parents don’t have to get to know the head coach, because they won a championship with him in Miami,” Rose said. “And you also want to pick a school with a head coach that knows what it’s like to play, perform on that level to get you there.”

“Second, you went to L.A. to make your name. Come back to the Midwest and show your game,” he continued. “And here’s the other thing: You can go kick it at that big house in Ohio when your parents are on the West Coast. Think about that on the days off.

“But in all honesty, all of the sudden you to Ann Arbor, it’s a very quaint college town. You don’t got to worry about being followed by paparazzi, you know what I’m saying. You get a chance to wear a backpack, go to class, be on campus, and go to the Big House, where there are 120,000 chanting your name, chanting the football anthem and singing the best fight song in the history of collegiate sports.”

According to another report, Michigan may have an uphill battle to land James. On3 analyst Jamie Shaw called Oregon the favorite to land the guard, citing the family’s long standing Nike connections. In the same piece, he wrote that Michigan is “not actively recruiting James.”

LeBron himself was quick to shut down that report, however.

“He hasn’t taken 1 visit yet and has only had a few calls with coaches and universities. When Bronny makes his choice you’ll hear it from him,” the Lakers star tweeted on Tuesday night.

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