Bronny James draws buzz from NBA scouts after McDonald’s All-American Game performance

Critics of Bronny James will say that he’s only getting hype as a college basketball recruit because of his superstar dad, LeBron James.

Those who believe in the younger James’ ability at the next level will point to his 15 points and four assists in the latest McDonald’s All-American Game and say it proves he has what it takes to shine among the best players in the college game. In fact, his performance in the game was so good that even NBA scouts took notice.

“He plays the right way and has a 3-point game that translates,” an NBA scout told Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek. “With all the scrutiny he faces, he seems like a good kid and someone players like playing with.”

James has certainly faced plenty of scrutiny for being the son of arguably the greatest player of all-time, and it’s likely that no matter where his basketball career takes him, he’ll never be able to fill the shoes of his GOAT father.

With that said, Bronny is able to stand on his own two feet talent-wise. According to the 247Sports composite, he’s the No. 33 2023 hoops recruit in the nation as well as the No. 6 combo guard. He also has some solid offers, which, of course, could be because of the hype he’d bring to a program. Still, these are some serious basketball schools. The likes of Ohio State and USC won’t just offer a player because of who their dad is.

In the end, it is interesting to note that not everything Bronny did surrounding the All-American game was positive to these unnamed NBA scouts.

“Things did fall a little short in some areas, causing a bit of eye rolls with scouts and executives at the event,” Yahoo wrote.

The younger James, who has a Nike shoe deal, did not wear Adidas shoes despite the company sponsoring the game. He was also the only player to opt out of media availability

“It’s understandable, being LeBron’s son, that there’s extra caution and people that want to protect the narrative,” a NBA scout said. “But this [demands and exceptions from his team] is not going to be acceptable as his career progresses.”