Bronny James was born at the right time. With the NIL runway cleared for takeoff, James is soaring at cruising altitude. He is doing so well that you will likely see a commercial of his many times during the NBA playoffs. In an ad for the 10th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. James’ face is in it more than even Vin Diesel’s.
James has still not decided on his post high school plans. One option off of the table is the NBA, because the new CBA did not get rid of one-and-done. Whatever decision he makes he will not need to ask mom and dad for pizza money while there.
According to On3.com, James earned the most NIL money of any athlete in 2022-23, and it’s not close. At $7.2 million, he has made nearly $4 million more than both Arch Manning and Olivia Dunne before announcing where he will be playing basketball in 2023-24.
Where will Bronny James play?
The NBA has never been a necessity for James. Coming from a wealthy family, he would have the financial support to thrive in whatever industry he chose. Even with the cushion of the one the plushest mattresses in the world to fall back on, it appears that James has been hard at work on his game. Since the 2022 Nike Peach Jam scouts have noticed significant improvement.
James’ strength for much of his high school career has been his defense and athleticism. This season, he has become a threat on offense. His playmaking ability and his shooting have gotten much better. He scored 15 points at the McDonald’s All-American game in March, all off of made 3-pointers. Ten days later during the World vs. USA game at the Nike Hoops Summit, he scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter. He was the only player on the U.S.A. roster who has not yet made a decision on where he will play next season.
With the money that he is making, and will continue to make, once James makes his college decision he might as well stay four years. As far as being the “big man on campus,” none will have ever been larger than him. A household name with his own millions. He could stay in the dorm just enough to please the coaches as a freshman, and still have his own condo in his name a couple of miles off campus.
In the NBA he will be able to make some money in advertisements because of his name, but he is likely going to be a role player. In college, he is going to be the star of the team, and getting major minutes whether or not he is scoring 20 points per game. James will be playing regularly in hyped nationally televised games.
He can be in Fast and Furious commercials, make a cameo in a Kevin Hart movie, and even start his own fast-food chain to compete with dad’s Blaze Pizza. James is an athlete, so if he decided to stay in school after the 2023-24 season, with summer school he can keep his course load light enough to continue to improve both his game and his net worth.
This new world of NIL could not have opened up at a better time for young Bronny. A world in which a high-school athlete can be featured in a commercial, advertising a movie franchise that began when his world-famous father was in high school two decades ago.
