Huge news hit the basketball world on Friday, as Bronny James of USC, famously the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, has officially declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, while also entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
While many have theorized where James could end up if he stays at the collegiate level, a surprising contender has emerged in Duquesne, due to some family ties involving LeBron’s basketball career, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“If Bronny James decides to return to college and transfer elsewhere, Duquesne is expected to be among his prominent considerations, sources said,” Wojnarowski reported. “Duquesne’s new coach, Dru Joyce, was a high school teammate of LeBron’s and a longtime James family friend.
“Joyce was promoted to head coach after Keith Dambrot retired following an Atlantic 10 championship and a run to the NCAA tournament. Dambrot was the high school coach of James and Joyce at St. Vincent’s-St. Mary’s in Akron Ohio.”
That would certainly be an interesting twist, after James decided to enter the draft and the portal following just one season with the Trojans. Now, the Dukes could be given a major boost if James decides to stick with the college game for one more season.
“I’ve had a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth for me as a man, student and athlete,” James wrote in his Instagram post. “I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility, and will also be entering the NCAA transfer portal.
“Thank you to USC for an amazing freshman year, and as always thankful for my family, friends, doctors, athletic trainers and fans for their support.”
Continuing, James missed the first eight games of the season after suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest in early July during the Trojans’ offseason workouts. Playing on a minutes restriction to start off his college career in his debut game against Long Beach State.
He’d go on to make his first career start on January 13 against Colorado, starting in three consecutive Pac-12 games, coming off the bench in the next two games, and receiving three more consecutive starts before coming back off the bench for the remainder of the season.
In his true freshman year, James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his 19.4 minutes per game. Scoring in double figures three times last season highlighted by a career-high 15 points against Oregon State in December.
Bronny James played high school basketball at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, Los Angeles (CA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle and the No. 6 ranked point guard, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
On3’s Kaiden Smith contributed to this article.
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