By design, LeBron James' high school experience won't be Bronny's
EVERY MORNING, BRONNY James is driven 25 miles from his family's home in the West Los Angeles enclave of Brentwood, through the recently fire-ravaged Sepulveda Pass and into a quiet corner of the San Fernando Valley.
The hourlong trip into the teeth of the 405 traffic would be a tough commute for anyone, but he and his 12-year-old brother, Bryce, go through it to reach an institution that has numerous elite athletes, that is more than 40% nonwhite and where celebrities and children of celebrities are common.
The Sierra Canyon School gives Bronny something LeBron James couldn't have dreamed of 20 years ago as he burst onto the national scene: a semblance of normalcy.
The high school is less than 15 years old, one of its founding board members was Will Smith, and the fundraising push to open the school was highlighted by a Stevie Wonder concert that raised seven figures.
Scotty Pippen Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. transferred to finish high school at Sierra Canyon last year. So did current Duke freshman Cassius Stanley, who is the son of NFL and NBA agent Jerome Stanley. Marvin Bagley III's jersey hangs in a glass case. He transferred in, graduated a year early, went to Duke and was picked No. 2 in the 2018 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
"When my son saw what it was like at Sierra Canyon, he had no interest in any other schools," says Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, whose son graduated last year and is now playing at Vanderbilt. "He loved what he saw there and he was very comfortable."
The Trailblazers are ranked among the top five high school teams in the nation by various outlets. They play a high-level national schedule with games planned in eight states. They play disciplined offense and use complex defensive systems as their coach prepares them for Division I college basketball.
And now, with Bronny, they have the most famous high school freshman in the country.
"Bronny is a fairly typical 15-year-old who is trying to find himself and learn," says head coach Andre Chevalier. "He keeps his head down and works. I'm impressed with the way he handles the attention."
Bronny has good size at 6-foot-2 and he's in excellent shape. His graceful gait and team-first approach -- he's a willing and gifted passer -- are just like his dad's.
But unlike his father, who was already the best player in his home state of Ohio as a high school freshman, Bronny is currently a role-playing guard on this loaded team, scoring in double figures just once this season.
The 7-0 Trailblazers will spend this weekend in Ohio, where Sierra Canyon will play LeBron's alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary, in a showcase game in front of what most expect to be a large crowd at the Columbus Blue Jackets' home arena (streamed on ESPN3). The heavily favored California team has a couple of older five-star prospects on the roster, but many of the viewers and attendees will be there to get in on the ground floor for what they hope will be the next LeBron.
Unlike the show LeBron put on in Columbus as a 15-year-old -- he won the state tournament MVP in front of a sellout crowd at nearby Ohio State -- this likely will be more about the experience than the stats for the James family.
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Entire article:
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28285621/by-design-lebron-james-high-school-experience-bronnys
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