"It felt special playing on the same court as he's played" - LeBron James' son Bronny James talks about winning over father's alma mater, St. Vincent's St. Mary's
Before entering the NBA, LeBron James played his high school basket with St. Vincent-St. Mary's. LeBron was picked as the first overall pick in the 2003 draft because of his impressive performances. 19 years down the line, and Bronny James had to play against his father's alma mater.
Bronny suited up for the Sierra Canyon against St. Vincent-St. Mary in The Chosen-1's Invitational at Staples Center, home court of LeBron James' LA Lakers.
It was a poetic evening as his son led the Canyons to a victory against LeBron James' former team at the home of his current team. Bronny finished with a game-high 19 points and four rebounds to lead the Canyons to a 71-53 win. He also knocked down three 3-pointers on four attempts.
Bronny James went COAST TO COAST 👑
The Young King has 13 points midway through the third.
@PaulBiancardi l #TheChosen1s https://t.co/UgR6cYsAY0
Speaking after the game, Bronny talked about the experience and how it felt playing on LeBron James' home court.
Via Yahoo Sports:
"It felt special playing on the same court as he's played. I'm getting a lot of confidence from that, and it was a really special game for me. Afterward, he just said he liked everything I was doing, with my poise and my pace for the game."
Although it was just a high school game, the arena was filled with stars, including LeBron James, Lakers teammate Carmelo Anthony, Phoenix Suns Chris Paul, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, and award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, among others.
LeBron James has been very supportive of Bronny's career
LeBron James has been very active in his son's basketball career, showing up at games and using every opportunity to hype him. He recently took to Instagram, showing Bronny dunking the ball and captioning it, "scary hours coming soon."
Bronny James has NBA range. 🔥
https://t.co/EgsgJw5ruA
The status of Bronny's recruitment to college is unknown, but several schools, including Duke, UCLA, Michigan, etc. have all indicated an interest in him. LeBron James would love for him to get into the NBA as quickly as possible, but the NBA's CBA banned the drafting of prospects from high school.
LeBron James has indicated interest in playing with his son in the NBA. Whether they will play in the same thing or as opponents is unclear at this point. But they will make history as the first father-son duo to play in the league at the same time.
In 2020, LeBron James agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the purple and gold until 2023. The four-time All-Star is happy with the timing and has stated that "he will have options." Perhaps that will mean he can go and play for any team that drafts Bronny if they will have him.
While we anticipate that historic moment, LeBron James has a daunting task ahead of him, which is to get the Lakers rolling this season. They are currently on a 12-12 run, ranked eighth in the Western Conference standings. Their gamble on experienced players has not paid dividends so far as they are struggling to keep up with the fast pace of the game.
So far this season, LeBron James has had many interruptions and is yet to play four consecutive games for the Lakers. He is averaging 25.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals.