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Former UCLA standout Matt Barnes makes recruiting pitch to Bronny James

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•08/17/22•

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(Christian Petersen / Staff Getty Images Sport)

No other prospect in high school basketball draws attention quite like Bronny James.

As the younger son of NBA legend LeBron James and a social media star himself, Bronny draws attention in almost everything he does — both on an off the court. The news recently has been that the first of LeBron’s sons is starting to see his recruitment heat up as he heads into his senior season. Bronny checks in as the No. 44 overall player in the On3 Consensus, and national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw follow up a recent ESPN report about the programs recruiting Bronny with intel of his own.

Three programs are currently in the mix with James, according to Shaw’s reporting: Oregon, USC and Ohio State.

Per the ESPN report, Michigan, UCLA and others have also shown interest, which led to a segment on NBA Today, with multiple members of the show making pitches for him to attend their alma maters.

Matt Barnes makes his pitch

After a plea from former Michigan star Jalen Rose for Bronny to attend his alma mater, ex-UCLA standout and NBA journeyman Matt Barnes had his chance.

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“Why not go to a Rams game or a Chargers game where they can still chant your name, be 15 minutes from home, still have Sunday dinner with your family and go back and kick it on your off days?” Barnes said. “You get to see your little brother play at Sierra Canyon; you get to see your dad play at Staples Center. And it’s just L.A. Our coach didn’t play on the highest level and all that stuff he was talking about. But we’ve got a lot of championships, we’ve got a lot of beautiful women, we’ve got a lot of sand and palm trees. … If you like the social media paparazzi thing, you might as well just stay here.”

Bronny James receives Oregon prediction

The Wolverines and Bruins might be on the outside looking in though, as Shaw put in a prediction on Tuesday afternoon for James to ultimately choose Oregon. The Ducks are Nike’s flagship school and have deep connections to the James family, as the company has sold LeBron’s signature shoe and apparel line since he came into the league in 2003.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) currently gives Oregon a 99.5 percent chance of landing James’ commitment.