Jay Williams says Bronny James coverage at USC will be 'Zion Williamson 2.0'
Bronny James shook the ground of the college basketball world this weekend with the long-awaited announcement of his commitment to USC. However, Jay Williams thinks that this was only the first tremor in what he expects to be a very large earthquake on its way to Hollywood.
Williams broke down what James’ commitment means for the Trojans on ‘KJM’ on ESPN. He said the hype around their program as far as a coverage standpoint is going to reach the heights of what Zion Williamson brought to Durham, North Carolina a couple of seasons ago.
“This is about to be Zion Williamson 2.0 in LA,” Williams stated. “(It’s) Zion Williamson 2.0 in LA with how networks are going to follow Bronny James and Isaiah (Collier) together.”
James will arrive on campus as the No. 23 prospect in the nation according to On3’s Industry Ranking. He comes in as a four-star recruit, a top-five point guard, and a Top-10 prospect out of California.
He will join Collier, the No. 1 prospect overall in the 2023 class, as well as Arrinten Page, a four-star center, in the Galen Center next season.
Williams also thinks this will be a significant move for the status of USC’s program. When you pair the portfolio of LeBron James with the athletic department’s efforts in the NIL space, he thinks this will better launch the team into the next era of college sports.
“That’s a power move too. This is SpringHill Entertainment, this is NIL. This is the power of the collective around ‘Bron and Bronny all coming to USC,” said Williams. “If you can create a conglomerate? Now you’re creating an empire with LeBron James who’s going to be right there with the Lakers. Think about what that does for the brand of USC basketball now?…It becomes different.”
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The James Gang will be bringing even more of a media circus to Los Angeles with this move. The family is now set to dominate the sports scene in The City Of Angels, both professionally and at the collegiate level, even if only for one year next season.
LeBron James reacts to Bronny’s commitment to USC
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said Saturday was one of the best days of his life after his son, five-star guard Bronny James, committed to USC. The decision closed out a long process for the younger James, who had his recruitment mostly shrouded in mystery.
“First of all congratulations to my son on his next journey and picking a great university in USC,” James said after the Lakers win Saturday. “I’m proud of him. This is an incredible thing. Unless it was one of my great-grandmothers or great-grandfathers or someone way before my time? To my knowledge, this is the first one out of the James Gang to go to college.”
“Obviously, his dad didn’t go to school,” James said. “His mom didn’t go to college. My mom maybe stepped on campus for a little bit. Maybe a community college or something. But she had (me) running around so she couldn’t spend much time in the classroom. 19 years old, she couldn’t do that. I was three. It’s very, very, very, very exciting, very humbling and a great moment for our family.”
“It’s super cool,” James said. “He’s a great kid. USC’s getting a great kid. Obviously, he’s there to play basketball but they’re going to be super surprised how great of a kid he is even though they’ve been recruiting him for quite a while.”