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15 Years After Father LeBron, Bronny James Uses his $4.9 Million NIL Privilege To Pamper USC Teammates

Published 03/13/2024, 11:19 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Bronny James and the USC Trojans closed out their season in stunning fashion. The team extended its winning streak to three after giving No. 1 seeded Arizona a 78-65 thumping on Saturday. Remarkably, not only is this their highest winning streak of the season, but it is also the first time since 2008 that the Trojans have defeated a top-five team. Therefore, to commend them on their recent success, LeBron James sent over two pairs of Nike LeBron 21 PEs in the USC colors to his son’s team. And once again, Bronny followed in his father’s footsteps with a thoughtful gesture of his own.

To express gratitude to his teammates, the Beats by Dre athletes, Bronny and Isaiah Collier, gifted their teammates custom Beats headphones in USC colors to help them through the grueling postseason ahead. “Got my guys some beats, me and Zay. Felt really good giving them the Beats. You know they’ve been there for the whole season for me and Zay. And I hope they enjoy them,” said Bronny.

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Both Bronny and Zay have NIL deals with the brand, so it’s safe to assume that the gesture did not hurt their pockets. However, this act of kindness takes us back to 2008, when LeBron pampered his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates by surprising them with custom hand-painted Beats By Dr. Dre Studio headphones in Cavalier red, blue, and gold before the holidays.

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Bronny is, after all, his father’s son. James was actually the first athlete signed by Beats by Dre and fourteen years later, they welcomed Bronny into the fold in 2022 to carry the James legacy. With one foot already in the door, the next natural progression is the NBA.

Will Bronny enter the draft in 2024?

With an underwhelming start to his NCAA career, Bronny’s draft stock has taken a hit. Following his return after suffering a cardiac arrest, younger James has been averaging 4.8 games, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 23 games this season. And it all came crashing down when ESPN excluded the 19-year-old from its 2024 mock draft and instead projected him as the second-round pick in 2025. However, his agent and Klutch Sports CEO, Rich Paul, later confirmed that whether Bronny will enter the draft will depend on “specific team interest” rather than draft position.

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Paul also added that the right fit for Bronny does not necessarily mean landing on a roster with his father. However, James would be “head over heels excited if that were to happen organically,” Paul said. Should Bronny enlist in the draft this year or stay back in college for one more year? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by:

Darshita Daga

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Darshita is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports who is creating her own space in the spectrum of sport journalism. Darshita specializes in dissecting post-game interviews, trade, and contracts. Her appetite for literature, akin to her affection for the Milwaukee Bucks, knows no bounds.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai