Lakers News: Expert Examines Bronny James' Evolution Into Top Draft Prospect

He's come a long way!

Everybody looks at Bronny James and believes that he's had an easy road to where he is today. USC commit, multimillionaire, and a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is the bare minimum for many fans who solely view him as the son of one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

However, Bronny is still just 18-years-old and even though the profession that he's entering comes with the understanding that he has to mature faster than most, he's had to work just as hard as anybody else to achieve what he has. 

BREAKING: BRONNY HAS COMMITTED TO USC ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/cxi0g9eVGj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 6, 2023

The Young Prince first broke onto the national basketball scene when he was coached by LeBron as a 13-year-old on one of the best AAU teams in the country: the North Coast Blue Chips. 

However, Bronny was not the best player on this squad and his father did not build the roster tailor-made for him to succeed. Number-one ranked middle schooler, Mikey Williams, and elite big man, Jahzare Jackson, got most of the buzz as Bronny was barely coming into his own.

Mikey Williams & Jahzare Jackson Are TOO FUNNY! Opens Up On Becoming Blue Chips With BRONNY JAMES! pic.twitter.com/QNehariFHG

— Overtime (@overtime) March 1, 2019

He would then go on to begin his high school career at Sierra Canyon, one of the most-established programs over the past decade. Bronny was able to learn from some of the biggest names in Ziaire Williams, Brandon Boston, and Amari Bailey just to name a few.

Once again, he had to prove his worth on the team and initially took on a role as a scoring spark off the bench and spot-up shooter.

Allow ESPN's Jonathan Givens to paint a picture detailing Bronny's situation at the time.

Bronny doing the CHALK TOSS 🤴@KingJames (via amari/IG) pic.twitter.com/J7sqeMMdYI

— Overtime (@overtime) October 28, 2021

James wasn't especially highly regarded early in his career, ranked as ESPN's No. 49 recruit in his class entering his junior year at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California. Other recruiting outlets had him ranked even lower, as the consensus at the time was that James had work to do in establishing himself as a surefire high major college player.

(Via ESPN)

But the 6'4" guard would just put his head down, stay out of the media, and continue working through numerous injuries and labels. He soon established himself as one of the top perimeter defenders at his level and finished his time at Sierra Canyon as ESPN's 19th best player in his 2023 class.

And we all know how it ended and that his new beginning will be as a Trojan. We cannot wait to see Bronny continue showing out for the city of LA and forge his own story.

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