Bronny James to wear LeBron James' jersey number in McDonald's All-American Game: All you need to know
The upcoming 2023 McDonald's All-American Game will be iconic due to the fact that Bronny James will be playing. To celebrate the occasion, James has revealed that he'll wear the same jersey number that his father has used, No. 23.
Bronny James will wear No. 23 at the McDonald's All-American Game 🔥
(Via @goodlooksfamily ) https://t.co/3sapFaZcZp
This will be the first game that Bronny will play while wearing the No. 23. In his AAU and Sierra Canyon school games, the four-time MVP's son wore the No. 0.
The McDonald's All-American game will take place on March 28 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The best and most highly recruited players will participate.
Andrej Stojakovic, the son of Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Hornets great Peja Stojakovic, will join Bronny as another player from an NBA family at the event.
LeBron James played in No. 23 in both of his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he wore No. 6 while winning two titles with the Miami Heat. He initially wore No. 23 with the Lakers, but he's worn No. 6 for the past two seasons.
James has won two championships while wearing No. 23: in 2016 with the Cavs and 2020 with the Lakers.
LeBron James wore No. 23 in high school at St. Vincent-St. Mary's in Akron, Ohio. He was the MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game, with 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in Cleveland, Ohio. James wore No. 32 in that game because No. 23 was retired in honor of Michael Jordan, according to Wikipedia.
You can watch LeBron James' highlights from the 2003 McDonald's All-American game below, where he dominated.
Should Bronny James go to college before the NBA?
Currently, there are other ways players can get into the NBA. Some players choose to enter the G-League for a chance to get paid and scouted closely by teams of the association. Also, there are those who opt to go overseas to join a professional team and develop their skills as a professional athlete.
Another option is to go to college to experience the atmosphere of the collegiate level. Many believe that going to college will be the best choice for Bronny James. This includes 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant, who has come out to express his desire to see Bronny participate in college.
"Going to college, I feel like that's a great route," said Durant. "Because it's still on the big stage. You still got to show who you are on that big stage, and the tournament is still a huge thing."
"I would love to see Bronny in college instead of going the other route. I wanna be in real time, see what he's doing and follow his journey."
It'll be interesting to see Bronny get the experience he needs before going to the NBA. He'll hone his skills if he does decide to join the college experience.
How well did LeBron James in the 2003 McDonald's All-American game?
It's been 20 years since LeBron's iconic McDonald's All-American game and it's still one of the best performances of the event. James wasn't the only future NBA player to participate back then. The East squad featured Luol Deng, Charlie Villanueva, Travis Outlaw and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
The West team also featured recognizable names such as Shannon Brown, Aaron Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe.
Despite the tournament being star-studded, James was still able to put on a show. He had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The East won with a score of 122 over the West's 107.
Also read: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and other NBA stars mourn the death of Knicks legend Willis Reed - "Rest in Power, Captain"