As the son of a basketball legend, 17-year-old Bronny James is already getting the royal treatment from the sports world — and colleges all over the nation are fighting for his commitment.
So far, according to ON3, the Oregon Ducks currently sit as the favorites to land the young superstar due to heavy personal ties between the James family and the area.
After a collection of calls, texts and conversations with sources, I have submitted an expert pick and feel like we are at a pace to publish a ranking of the contenders article.
Dana Altman has been on quite the roll on the recruiting trail recently. The Ducks picked up a pair of five-star recruits in the last month: Mookie Cook and Kwame Evans. They also landed an early commitment from four-star Jackson Shelstad.
There are many ties between the James family and Oregon. The connections mostly center around Nike. Oregon is the flagship school for the Nike brand. LeBron James and Nike have done business together with SpringHill Company. And LeBron has signed a lifetime contract with Nike as an apparel brand.
There is also a tie between Bronny James and Mookie Cook. The pair were travel teammates with the North Coast Blue Chips team in middle school. Cook also spent his summer playing a young LeBron James in a SpringHill Company-produced movie called Shooting Stars.
As the headquarters of Nike, a college experience at Oregon might be the right call for Bronny. He’ll be playing for an iconic institution while also being within driving distance of a major sports brand.
Of course, there will be other contenders for James Jr., but perhaps no other college in the nation can offer what the Ducks can — and it has put them in a great position to house a highly, highly anticipated prospect.
