USC's Bronny James Joins Dad LeBron on Signed 1-of-1 Fanatics Collectibles Card

Trojan freshman's on-court play starting to catch up to his NIL prowess

Michael Ehrlich | Jan 10, 2024

USC's Bronny James Joins Dad LeBron on Signed 1-of-1 Fanatics Collectibles Card /

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In breaking news across the trading card industry on Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James signed a multi-year exclusive trading card deal with Fanatics Collectibles, with a NIL and familial element worth noting.

James will appear on an autographed 1-of-1 card in the upcoming Topps 2023-2024 Bowman University Chrome Basketball set with his son, USC freshman guard Bronny James.

The elder James teased his pending Fanatics partnership earlier this week on Instagram and the brand confirmed with an “Origin of Greatness” hype video featuring highlights of both James' and additional NIL partners Iowa's Caitlin Clark, USC's Caleb Williams and footage of C.J. Stroud when he was at Ohio State a season ago.

The card releases on January 19 and will no doubt be a highly sought after - and expensive - item.

In addition to Fanatics, Bronny's NIL partnerships include Beats by Dre, PSD Underwear and Nike - where he is one of a handful of college athletes including Clark, 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.

Returning from cardiac arrest over the Summer, Bronny's freshman season got off to a slow start but he's found his footing as of late. He's appeared in seven games so far, averaging 17.3 minutes per game and contributing 6.7 points. James scored a season-high 15 points at Oregon State, on his Dad's birthday.

Bronny and the 8-7 Trojans host 10-5 Washington State Cougars tonight.

Published Jan 10, 2024

MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com