Four-star football prospect Jaden Nickens has announced his dual sport commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks, and his Sierra Canyon High School teammate Bryce James couldn't be happier.
Bryce, the No. 47 ranked shooting guard nationally and the son of NBA star LeBron James, took to Instagram to celebrate his friend’s dual-sports commitment.
He posted an Instagram story featuring a graphic of Jaden Nickens in both basketball and football jerseys, paired with a simple but excited one-word message.
In his story, Bryce wrote:
“Bruddaaaa.”
Jaden Nickens, who transferred from Douglass High School in Oklahoma to Sierra Canyon, has excelled both in football and basketball.
While he is unranked in basketball, he is ranked No. 29 nationally as a wide receiver in football, per 247Sports.
Announcing his decision on the 247Sports YouTube channel live stream, Nickens discussed his dual-sports commitment.
“The decision I make today is me staying true to myself,” he said.
However, his decision to pursue both basketball and football at the college level wasn’t without its challenges. On the live stream, Nickens said:
“It was a lot of ups and downs, you know. A lot of colleges were going along, but a lot wasn't; it was a hard choice for me to decide if I wanted to stay true to myself or if I wanted to listen to the outside noise.”
Nickens’ decision ultimately came down to Kansas, beating out schools like California, Georgia, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Now, Nickens will join Kansas’ football roster, which already includes three other four-star wide receivers: Jackson Cook, Tate Nagy and Bryson Hayes.
Bryce James misses brother Bronny's G-League debut?
Bryce James' older brother, Bronny, geared up for his G League debut at the UCLA Health Training Center earlier this week, but Bryce wasn’t there to witness it.
LeBron, along with his wife Savannah, daughter Zhuri and mother Gloria, attended to support Bronny’s G League debut, but Bryce was absent.
Instead, Bryce was at his high school, Sierra Canyon’s tip-off event, where he was busy. There, the young guard also showed off some impressive dance moves, which earned applause from his parents on Instagram.