Nike Celebrates NIL Partner Bronny James' Return to the Court
Months after suffering cardiac arrest that put his basketball career in jeopardy, USC freshman guard Bronny James made his long-anticipated college basketball debut on Sunday.
The eldest son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer, James was greeted by a standing ovation from the sellout Galen Center crowd in downtown Los Angeles, just a few blocks from his Dad's office at Crypto.com Arena.
Already among the most prolific names in all of NIL - prior to even playing a minute of college basketball - James' biggest brand partner Nike celebrated the occasion across their global social channels, welcoming the Trojan freshman back to the court.
As one of a handful of college athletes with Nike partnerships - including Caitlin Clark of Iowa, DJ Wagner of Kentucky and fellow Trojan JuJu Watkins - James' No. 6 jersey with "James Jr." on the back is currently available via Nike, Dick's Sporting Goods and other retailers across the country.
In a collab post on Instagram from Nike and Nike Basketball prior to James' debut - with a combined 322 million followers - the Swoosh shared the following message:
"Difficult times teach you who you are, but more importantly, what you have the power to rise from. And nothing stops a future king. Welcome back, @Bronny"
Although James and the Trojans fell in overtime to Long Beach State, the freshman had a few bright spots in his 16 minutes of action, including a chase down block that was eerily reminiscent of his Dad in the 2016 NBA Finals. With his family sitting courtside for the memorable day, James contributed four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one incredible block for the Trojans.
After the game, James didn't take questions from the media, but shared his thanks to everyone who helped him return to the court.
"I just want to say I'm thankful for everything. The Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with, my parents, siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that's helped me through this. Also, my coach, my teammates, all my other coaches. They've been with me since the start and I just want to say I'm thankful for them."
James' Dad - who a night prior led the Lakers' to the first-ever NBA in-season tournament title - recapped the emotional Sunday with additional words of encouragement.
While some skeptics have questioned James' basketball merits - if he didn't have his famous last name - USC head coach Andy Enfield reiterated belief in his freshman.
“We recruited Bronny James because he’s a very good basketball player,” Enfield said. “He went through a very unfortunate situation. He’s done an incredible job with that. So extra eyeballs or spotlight, sometimes that comes with a guy like Bronny, but we have to get better as a basketball team.”
With the loss, USC fell to 5-4 and next visit Auburn on Sunday. Pac-12 play opens on December 28 for the Trojans with a trip to play Oregon and Oregon State.
