LaVar Ball offers Bronny James interesting career advice

"You playing against grown men, and you getting paid," Ball said. "If you want to play basketball and you really that dude, why am I sitting in class trying to pass a chemistry test? I don't wanna play no chemistry. I don't wanna practice no Spanish. No!"

"I wanna wake up, go practice, go back to sleep, go practice, have a game, practice," he continued. "That's all I wanna do. I don't wanna be like, 'Hey, I'll meet you in the student union for study hall.'"

Additionally, Ball is confident that James, who has amassed more than seven million Instagram followers, would draw a large crowd at NBL games because of his popularity.

"You can go set your own stage across the water," Ball said. "He already got the name. So people wanna see [James]. He gon' fill the gym up."

While Ball is merely voicing his opinion, the league has been eyeing James for its Next Stars developmental program for some time. Earlier this year, NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger revealed the league had "very preliminary back-and-forth" conversations about James participating in the program with the guard's representatives, Klutch Sports Group, via the Sporting Tribune.

Ball's youngest son participated in the program, playing for the Illawarra Hawks, a move that helped him get selected third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. It's worth noting that the now-Hornet played abroad after hiring an agent and selling merchandise using his image in high school, which wasn't permitted then, costing him college eligibility.

James might have gone overseas in a different era, but with NIL deals, he'll make just as much, if not more, as a college student than he would in Australia. NBA scouts would also have an easier time evaluating and comparing him to other prospects if he stayed stateside.

According to On3.com, James is already the highest-paid student-athlete through endorsement deals, with a $7.2 million NIL valuation, nearly twice that of the next top earner, Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

A decision on James' next step should come soon, as he was waiting until Sierra Canyon's season concluded. He'll be eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft, and ESPN's Jonathan Givony projects him as a lottery pick.