Comparing high school basketball careers of Bronny, Bryce James

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LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He is almost unanimously praised as a top two hooper ever because he has had a great NBA career which has spanned 22 seasons. That ties him for the record for the longest NBA career ever.

However, James was thriving on the hardwood long before he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, scouts viewed him as the greatest draft prospect ever when he was just a high schooler at St. Vincent-St. Mary. The basketball success James has had has led to him and his family becoming celebrities. Eldest son Bronny James was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and he and his father have been suiting up together during the 2024-25 season, becoming an iconic father-son duo in the process.

Bronny James hasn’t put up big numbers in the NBA yet, but his younger brother Bryce is coming off of his career-high scoring output. Bryce, like Bronny did before him, is playing for Sierra Canyon High School. Bronny was certainly a polarizing draft prospect and NCAA recruit, as Bryce will be/is, too.

Because of that, we wanted to compare the high school careers of the two brothers who have been in the basketball spotlight since their childhood days.

Bronny James’ high school career

Bronny James joined Sierra Canyon High School for his freshman season (2019-2020). The team was arguably the best high school team in the nation. They gained tons of media attention and drew comparisons to high school programs stacked with NBA talent such as the Chino Hills team led by the Ball family and the Montverde Academy squad filled with future draftees such as Cade Cunningham.

Sierra Canyon was coming off of back-to-back California Interscholastic Federation Open Division state titles before Bronny joined them. He wasn’t expected to be a star right away, as the team was led by two five-star incoming transfers, Brandon Boston Jr. and Ziaire Williams. Additionally, Zaire Wade – the son of LeBron James’ Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade – was on the team.

The team was so popular, largely because of the intrigue surrounding Bronny, that ESPN aired 15 games during his freshman season. Bronny came off of the bench, but he still had some big moments. Notably, he was named the game’s MVP in a 59-56 victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary, his father’s alma mater. Bronny put up 15 points and scored a clutch, go-ahead layup in that game. His season high of 17 points came in a 117-62 win over Viewpoint School.

Fans watched Bronny under a microscope, which led to Lebron preventing him from taking interviews. He ended the season scoring 4.1 points in 15 minutes of play per game. He was the only player to play in all 34 of the team’s games, and Sierra Canyon ended with a 30-4 record and a (scheduled) appearance in the Open Division State Championship Game. Unfortunately, that game was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Boston and Williams graduating, Bronny was expected to play a bigger role in year two. Unfortunately, he missed most of his sophomore campaign because of a torn meniscus. Bronny only played in three games because of his knee surgery, but Sierra Canyon was again expected to be a powerhouse for his junior season. His junior year team featured another high-level prospect in Amari Bailey.

The duo worked together to lead Sierra Canyon to a 26-5 record. Bronny’s defense, in particular, stood out, and scouts started to believe the less glamorous side of the basketball would be his calling card going forward. While he wasn’t an elite isolation scorer, James had the athletic prowess to thrive in point-of-attack defense against guards and wings alike. He could also certainly knock down a three-point shot on the offensive side. Bronny averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, the latter stat of which is what got people really excited.

Even so, Sierra Canyon needed Bronny to level his offensive game up ahead of his senior year, and he did just that. Bronny would go on to average a respectable 14.1 points per game during his final year of high school in addition to putting up 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Bronny’s individual numbers were enough to justify a McDonald’s All-American Game selection, but his Sierra Canyon squad actually had a down season overall. Their struggles led to the team being relegated from the Open Division.

Bronny would make a record five three-point shots in the McDonald’s All-American game, though, before he went on to play his college ball at USC.

Bronny had a major health scare (cardiac arrest) before his collegiate career could get going, but he eventually returned to play before being drafted 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Now, Bronny is averaging 0.4 points per game in nine appearances with the Los Angeles Lakers in addition to 13.4 points per game in 13 G-League games for the South Bay Lakers.

Bryce James’ high school career

Bryce James played on Sierra Canyon his freshman year with his older brother. The two are very different players. While Bronny is generously listed at 6-foot-3, Bryce is a 6-foot-6 wing. He doesn’t have the speed of his brother, but he is a much more physically imposing player, much like his dad. We’ve even seen some highlight dunks thrown down by Bryce over the years.

Bryce has bounced all over the place during his high school career. It can be argued that Bryce’s constant relocation has hurt his development, and he doesn’t have huge high school statistics to write home about. In fact, it is hard to even find Bryce’s specific statistical output.

After playing at Sierra Canyon, Bryce transferred to Campbell Hall School ahead of his junior year, but he again decided to transfer before the school year even begun. He ended up at Notre Dame High School for his junior year. Now, James is back at Sierra Canyon for his senior season, and he is finally starting to see the court time fans have wanted to see from him.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, Bryce was averaging 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in four games for Sierra Canyon after missing the first nine games of the season because of an arm injury. It is unclear exactly what he has produced in the games since the start of the new year, but he did score a career-high 16 points in the Hoophall Classic at Springfield, Mass. Bryce made four threes and had an impressive dunk in that game.

Bryce won the MVP honors for the 60-46 win against Grayson of Georgia. The senior had offers from Ohio State and Duquesne, but he has committed to play at the University of Arizona. With limited time actually on the court, Bryce is viewed as a developmental project, but one with tons of potential due to his frame and bloodlines.

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