- Lebron James’ son, Bronny James, committed to playing college basketball for the USC Trojans.
- The USC Trojans’ 2024 NCAA National Championship odds have not improved on the news of Bronny joining the program.
- Early odds do not favor Bronny and LeBron playing together on the same team in the 2024-25 season.
Bronny James has finally made his highly anticipated decision on where he is playing college basketball. Bronny has opted to stay close to home and play for the USC Trojans in Los Angeles.
However, the betting public has not reacted favorably to Bronny’s decision. USC’s 2024 NCAA National Championship odds remain roughly the same as they did before he committed.
In fact, USC had shorter odds to win the national title last month. USC opened with +2500 odds to win the NCAA Tournament next year. These odds came out shortly after the UConn Huskies put the finishing touches on their fifth national title.
According to the 2024 NCAA National Championship odds at BetOnline, the Trojans have +3300 odds to win the title next season. Despite having elite basketball genes, the odds suggest that Bronny is not going to be a game-changer for the Trojans.
Breaking: Bronny James has committed to USC, he announced on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/XuZDwLYuY6
— ESPN (@espn) May 6, 2023
Bronny James Expected To Be One and Done at USC
LeBron did not have to contend with the new NBA eligibility rules when he was in high school. Like Kobe Bryant, LeBron skipped college and went straight to the NBA in 2003. He was an impact player right away for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Currently, players must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school to play in the NBA. Therefore, Bronny will be required to play a year of college basketball before entering the NBA Draft. In any event, a year of college basketball will likely serve him well.
As much as the media will hype him up, Bronny is not a generational player like his father. Despite carrying lofty expectations because of his name, Bronny is not nearly as polished as LeBron was at the same age. He may very well develop into a highly talented player, but don’t expect him to be the next LeBron.
The 18-year-old averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in his final year of high school. Bronny won the Mission League title in three of four seasons at Sierra Canyon.
His explosiveness and quickness to the hoop expedited to the next level this past season. The 6-foot-3 true combo guard has to put everything together more consistently in college. There were glimpses of when Bronny looked like the next coming of his father, but he was too inconsistent.
Expect Bronny to have a streaky college career at USC. The good should outweigh the bad, though. He is pushing to be a Top 10 selection in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, Bronny still has some things to work out before getting into that territory.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 17, 2022
Odds Do Not Favor Bronny and LeBron Playing On The Same Team
LeBron has not been shy about admitting that he would like to play in the NBA with his son before retiring. In January, the Laker reaffirmed that he would like to step onto the floor with Bronny before calling it a career.
His commitment to playing with Bronny goes back a few years. This isn’t anything new from LeBron, but it does confirm that he is still interested as his son gets closer to entering the NBA.
LeBron is under contract with the LA Lakers until the end of the 2024-25 season. He will be a free agent to play wherever he wants or retire before the 2025-26 campaign. With this in mind, LeBron could sign with Bronny’s team after his contract with the Lakers expires.
There are a couple of other scenarios that could put Bronny and LeBron together in 2024-25. Of course, the Lakers could draft the younger James. That would be the easiest solution to satisfy LeBron’s desires.
If Bronny goes to another team, there could be a trade in the works. Certainly, the Lakers would listen to LeBron and act on his request if Bronny’s team was interested, too.
At 38 years of age, LeBron likely has one last contract in him. Currently, he is still playing at a high level. LeBron averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game this season. He’s currently playing well in the NBA Playoffs as well.
Could a team draft Bronny with the intention of trying to lure his father to their team? If he really wanted to do it, LeBron could play well into his 40s.
BetOnline has this prop bet for the 2024-25 season live in their sportsbook. At -250 odds, the Bronny and LeBron not on the same team bet is favored to win. You can bet on a father-and-son duo happening at +170 odds.
Dennis Rodman’s son, DJ, is linking up with Bronny at USC. 👀⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lJDtx3FEUF
— theScore (@theScore) May 9, 2023
DJ Rodman Transferring From Washington State To Play With Bronny
The Trojans are going to have the sons of two legends on their roster next season. Days after Bronny announced his decision, Dennis Rodman’s son was quick to announce a decision of his own.
DJ Rodman is off to Los Angeles following four years at Washington State. Rodman is coming off the best season of his career. He posted 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 30 games.
Bronny and Rodman are unlikely to be the best players on this team. Isaiah Collier, who played against Bronny in high school, is regarded as one of the top prospects in the country.
Collier was the highest-ranked player in this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game. He and Colorado commit, Cody Williams, are No. 1 and No. 2 depending on which ranking system you are examining.
Regardless of the hype surrounding this program, the Trojans have long odds to win the 2024 NCAA National Championship. Currently, the Duke Blue Devils are favored to win the national title at +1000 odds. Fellow blueblood school, the Kansas Jayhawks are on their heels at +1100.
