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LeBron James is widely considered one of the great, if not the greatest, basketball players of all time, with four NBA championships, four MVP awards, and the all-time scoring record under his belt.
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LeBron, 38, has been playing in the NBA since he was drafted in 2003 to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the age of 18. Since then, he’s racked up title after title, MVP after MVP, multiple All-Star appearances, and broken dozens of records.
He’s also amassed a sizable real-estate portfolio, multiple endorsement deals, started a semi-successful acting career, and opened a public school in Akron, Ohio, for underprivileged students.
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LeBron is actually a billionaire. Insider previously reported that, between $90 million in endorsements each year and his $532 million in earnings over the last 20 years, he’s become one of the wealthiest athletes of all time.
In his personal life, LeBron is also a success story. He’s been with his high school sweetheart Savannah James since they were teenagers. They tied the knot in 2013, and they have three kids: sons Bronny and Bryce and daughter Zhuri.
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The future Mr. and Mrs. James met in 2002 while they were both in high school, and they had their first date at an Outback Steakhouse. They got engaged in 2011 and married in 2013.
In fact, LeBron said his eldest son, Bronny, is already better than some NBA players.
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On March 6, 2023, the Lakers star tweeted, “Man Bronny definitely better than some of these cats I’ve been watching on league pass today,” calling it “lightweight hilarious.”
So, in the midst of LeBron’s 20th season and his son Bronny’s highly anticipated college decision, let’s meet his two sons who are poised to carry on the James legacy.
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His sons have been there for every big decision LeBron has had to make in his career.
LeBron Raymone “Bronny” James Jr. was born on October 6, 2004, right before his father’s second season in the NBA began.
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LeBron was just 19 years old when his first son was born, while his then-girlfriend Savannah was 18.
The James family moved from Ohio to Miami, Florida, in 2010 when Bronny was 6. They moved back to Cleveland in 2014 when Bronny was 10, before making a final move to the Los Angeles area in 2018 when Bronny was 14, right before he began his high school basketball career.
By the time he was 10, videos posted by his dad showing Bronny playing basketball were going viral.
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LeBron posted a video of Bronny playing basketball in 2014 on Twitter, when Bronny was 10 years old. He added, “Proud of you son! Great job in Houston and congrats on bringing home 1st place.”
It was picked up by various news outlets, including ABC, who wrote Bronny was “pretty good at basketball, too.”
But he didn’t really garner headlines until he transferred to the California private school Sierra Canyon as a freshman in 2019, along with his younger brother, Bryce.
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Bronny transferred to Sierra Canyon, a private K-12 school in Chatsworth, a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles, for his freshman year in 2019.
Even in the very beginning of his career at Sierra Canyon, the hype was real for Bronny. Sports photographer Cassy Athena told The Washington Post, “A lot of the high school guys are more famous than the NBA players. If I post a picture of Bronny, a lot of times it will get more traction than the NBA players.”
Bronny’s now a senior and making serious waves. He’s currently ranked No. 28 in ESPN’s Class of 2023, and he’s reportedly choosing between three Division I colleges.
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Bronny is one of two players in the top 60 ranked players who hasn’t announced what college he’ll be attending.
He’s been classified as a four-star recruit (out of five stars), meaning that he’s in high demand for any NCAA program next year.
According to Insider’s Cork Gaines, scouts believe that Bronny is “an elite defender” who shows “flashes of brilliance on the offensive end,” but could end up most likely being a role player or a reserve, as opposed to a record-breaking scorer like his dad.
But Bronny is expected to only play a season in the NCAA anyway, because he could be drafted into the NBA by 2024. One analyst even predicted he’ll be a top-10 draft pick.
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ESPN reported that Bronny has offers from the University of Kentucky, the University of Memphis, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Oregon, and the University of Southern California.
As Insider reported previously, the three colleges he’s reportedly considering most seriously are Ohio State (his and his dad’s home state), USC (which is close to his family’s home now), and Oregon, which has close ties to Nike — a brand that both Bronny and LeBron have strong relationships with.
Outside basketball, Bronny is already making moves. He has a deal with Nike due to the new NCAA rules about college athletes profiting off their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
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Up until late 2020, student athletes were unable to profit from their name, image, or likeness, without losing their NCAA eligibility — this was a controversial rule, with many critics calling college sports programs exploitative, as they made money off the athletes while the athletes were unable to make any money themselves.
But now the rule has changed and Bronny is taking advantage. He signed a deal with Nike in October 2022, following in his father’s footsteps.
Bronny also promotes Beats By Dre and has his own personal line of underwear.
Bryce Maximus James was born on June 14, 2007, right in the middle of his father’s first NBA finals appearance.
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LeBron was 22 when his second son was born, right before Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Championship. According to ESPN, Bryce’s middle name, Maximus, came from the 2000 film “Gladiator,” which is LeBron’s favorite. The hero of the film, played by Russell Crowe, is named Maximus.
Unfortunately, the Cavaliers lost the finals that year.
Now 15, Bryce is growing fast, and he is considered by some to have even more potential than his older brother. He’s already taller than him.
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Bryce is reportedly 6 foot 6, which puts him above his 6-foot-2 older brother, and he’s only 15. There’s a solid chance he could catch up to his 6-foot-9 father.
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