"Bronny was groomed to be NBA player" - Ex-NBA champ compares LeBron James' son Bryce James to Shareef O'Neal over Arizona decision

LeBron James' second son, Bryce James, announced on New Year's Day his commitment to the Arizona Wildcats as part of the team's 2025 class on his Instagram account. Aside from Arizona, he also received offers from Ohio State and Duquesne.

Bryce is a different player than his older brother, LA Lakers' rookie Bronny. At 6-foot-4, James' second son is bigger and stronger. Because he depends so much on his outside stroke, he is also a more daring shooter than his sibling. He averaged 6.9 points per game on 36.8% shooting from downtown during his 14 games in the Strive For Greatness grassroots program last spring.

On "The Club 520 Podcast," former NBA player Jeff Teague and his crew speculated on whether James will get playing time during his freshman year.

Bishop B Henn, one of the hosts, made the case that James should play even as a freshman. This led to Teague comparing him to former college player Shareef O'Neal.

"I think Bryce is more of a – he's a cool guy," Teague said. "I think he's cool going to school. He might not play a lot. He might play a little bit. He reminds me of Shareef O'Neal. He can hoop, but he was like, 'Yeah, I'm cool.'"

Unlike most players who pursued an NBA dream, O'Neal spent three unremarkable years in college. That is, because of the heart issue he experienced in his first year at UCLA before he moved on to his father Shaquille O'Neal's alma mater, LSU, for two seasons.

In addition, Teague compared the James brothers, saying that Bryce is a more distinct player than his older brother. Bronny James was a four-star recruit, ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2023 by ESPN. Brice is a three-star recruit ranked No. 257 by 247Sports.

"He different than Bronny," Teague said. "Bronny would seem like a, no offense, but he seemed like he was groomed to be an NBA player. Whereas, Bryce is like, I'm the vibe."

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Bryce James' older brother reacts to his decision

This year, Bryce James' college choice was one of the most-anticipated commitments. As soon as James revealed where he would be attending college, everyone was excited about the young talent. On X (previously Twitter), Bronny James congratulated his younger brother.

"Congrats Bryce! 🎉 🍾," Bronny posted.

It hasn't been a year since Bronny's college stint at USC and Bryce is now following in his footsteps. The older James played for the Trojans last season, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games. He also spent the earlier part of his college career recovering from a cardiac arrest during a practice session.

Still, that didn't hold him back, and he made it to the NBA.