'Stop recruiting LeBron Jr': 8 years before USC commitment, Bronny's recruitment from Duke, Kentucky drew LeBron James' ire

Bronny James was so highly touted that his father, LeBron James, once revealed that colleges like Duke and Kentucky had sent feelers to his son when he was as young as 10 years old.

In a 2015 interview, the elder James bared that he was upset when his son became a subject of early recruitment for college when he was still in middle school.

LeBron James said in a CBS interview:

"He's already got some offers from colleges. "It's pretty crazy. It should be a violation. You shouldn't be recruiting 10-year-old kids."

Two days later, he reiterated his call not to recruit his son that early in an interview with ESPN's Myron Medcalf, saying:

"Let him be a kid."

Medcalf raised in his report, headlined "Stop recruiting LeBron Jr.", a US NCAA rule in which "a coaching staff member may observe an individual who has not entered the seventh grade participating in an athletically related activity, provided such observation occurs during a period when it is permissible to evaluate prospective student-athletes."

Bronny James had just entered fifth grade when some coaches attended his games mainly for early scouting. That time, Kentucky head coach John Calipari was among the high-profile coaches who watched Bronny James in action.

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta also revealed that he was already looking at James, and the school reportedly sent a questionnaire to him in hopes of keeping him in his home state.

Fast forward to the present time, Bronny James ultimately chose the University of Southern California so that he could still be close to his father, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James' son Bronny is still awaiting full clearance to join practice

As of Tuesday, Bronny James has not been cleared yet to join USC's practices.

Despite that, Andy Enfield, the Trojans' head coach, assured that LeBron James' son is "doing very well" following his cardiac arrest that rocked the basketball community. Enfield, though, did not give a precise timetable on when Bronny James can make his much-anticipated college basketball debut.

Hopefully, James will be given the all-clear soon and can return to practice.