Meet billionaire NBA legend LeBron James’ younger son Bryce Maximus: from the ‘best shooter in the household’ aged 11 to joining the Arizona Wildcats this year – and why he’s basketball’s rising star
Standing 10cm (4 inches) taller than his elder brother, LA Lakers guard LeBron Raymone ‘Bronny’ James Jr, 17-year old Bryce has been making waves for years with his skills on the court
Bryce Maximus James, the younger son of NBA star LeBron James, is ready to take his basketball career to new heights. The rising talent has committed to playing for the University of Arizona Wildcats starting this year, as announced on his Instagram.
Bryce Maximus James is the younger son of NBA legend LeBron James. Photo: @_justbryce/Instagram
Here’s what we know about the younger James brother, Bryce, and why he’s primed for NBA stardom.
Staying grounded
LeBron James with his son Bryce James, a rising basketball star. Photo: @brycejamesz/Instagram
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LeBron James was born in December 1984 to a 16-year-old mother, and grew up poor and fatherless in public housing in Akron, Ohio. He and his mum had to move house every few months, and got by with help from food stamps, per CNBC.
In March 2019, on the first episode of the Uninterrupted podcast Kneading Dough – Uninterrupted being an “athlete empowerment” brand founded by James and his lifelong friend Maverick Carter – the sports legend shared that, before he entered the NBA draft, “Rent was [US]$17 a month.”
Today, James is the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. As a result, his three children are “beyond the top”, as he told Carter on the podcast. While the James kids will never understand what their father went through, he said he teaches them to be as grounded as possible and “appreciate what they have”.
Bryce James now towers over his brother
Bryce James hit a growth spurt around the age of 15 and now towers over his elder brother Bronny. Photo: @_justbryce/Instagram
It’s not easy to stand out when your father is an NBA star and your older brother is a coveted recruit. However, Bryce has literally stood out since hitting a growth spurt more than two years ago. The 17-year-old is 198cm (6ft 6 inches) tall, making him 10cm taller than his older brother Bronny, who stands at 188cm (6ft 2 inches).
Bryce’s basketball skills have been catching the internet’s attention for years, and he’s still only in high school. In August 2022, LeBron posted a video of himself working out with Bryce and Bronny at the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice facility. The video – which showed the three of them dribbling, shooting and dunking – went viral, with comparisons drawn between the then 15-year-old Bryce and his famous father.
Bryce and Bronny play for the California Basketball Club
