Kansas basketball: Jayhawks’ odds of landing Bronny James revealed

One of the recruits in the upcoming 2023 class is a prospect who is perhaps the most well-known high school athlete in the country.

LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny, is the son of NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer LeBron James. The 6-foot-2, four-star shooting guard plays for high school hoops powerhouse Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles and is currently the No. 57-ranked prospect in the 2023 class, according to Rivals.com.

James has yet to receive a Power Five offer and has taken no official visits yet, but that hasn’t stopped one sports betting site from making a prediction on where the talented young player will go to college.

Online sportsbook Bovada recently released their “Where Will Bronny James Play After High School” odds and Kansas is one of seven schools listed as potential landing spots.

Oregon is listed as the favorite to land James at -200, followed by KU’s fellow blue bloods North Carolina (+350), UCLA (+500), Duke (+800), and Kentucky (+950). Kansas comes in with the sixth best odds at +1200, while Ohio State rounds out the group at +1500.

Although Oregon is listed as the favorite, LeBron came out publicly this week to say that his son has not determined where he wants to go.

All the schools listed make sense as options for the young phenom.

Oregon is the premier Nike school in the country – a brand that his father has had a major shoe deal with for years. North Carolina is a Jordan-brand school (also part of Nike), and we know how much respect and admiration LeBron has for UNC-alum Michael Jordan.

UCLA is the local school where James could play close to his father and allow for his family to easily watch him play. Duke and Kentucky are consistently two of the best programs in the country who are also Nike schools. And Ohio State – also a Nike school – has the hometown ties from when James lived in Cleveland.

The case for Kansas

Kansas is obviously the odd man out among the group when it comes to apparel sponsor. KU has been an Adidas school for over 10 years, but that hasn’t stopped them from landing the likes of Josh Jackson, Andrew Wiggins, and other top talent over the years.

While it’s hard to imagine Bronny picking a school without Nike ties because of his father’s relationship with the company, Kansas still has a lot to offer.

The reigning national champions are routinely one of the best schools in the country, they get players to the NBA, and they have arguably the best current head coach in college basketball.

Being in Lawrence, KU can also offer James a chance to get out of the bigger media spotlight that would likely exist if he were to choose a school like UCLA or Duke. The Midwest isn’t for everybody, and the cameras are likely to follow James anywhere he goes, but if he were looking for a chance to forge more of his own path, Lawrence is a great place to start.

Something that might work against the Jayhawks is the fact that they have a very deep backcourt with no clear signs of how the roster will shake out after this upcoming season. Kansas also already has a shooting guard committed in the 2023 class and that is four-star guard Chris Johnson – who is listed just a few spots ahead of James as the No. 55 prospect overall.

While it currently appears to be a long shot that James picks Kansas, there is a reason they’re one of the seven schools listed. Could they land a visit from James – perhaps to see a national championship banner hung during this year’s Late Night in the Phog?

James’ recruitment will be one of the most closely watched decisions in high school hoops history, and Kansas – at least for now – appears to be in the mix for the promising prospect.