LeBron James proved to be a proud father as he watched his 17-year-old son make his debut in the Hoophall Classic representing Sierra Canyon, as the Los Angeles Lakers legend joyously hyped him up online.

Bryce James is poised to go to college soon and already has a NIL deal in place, meaning that it’s a possibility there could be three members of the James household in the NBA before not too long.

Whilst that is still a little way off, Bryce is continuing to develop his game as a basketballer and recently appeared at the prestigious annual high school event and posted 16 points with a 66% three-throw rate too, becoming voted as MVP.

His dad couldn’t be there unfortunately, however, that doesn’t mean the all-time great didn’t follow the game online as the Laker and four-time NBA champion hyped his kid up on social media.

“Bryce James is doing crazy things at the Hoophall Classic right now! Flame thrower,” LeBron posted to X.com, formerly Twitter. He then later added, “So proud of you, Maximus! I literally shed a tear! PROUD DAD!”

Bryce declares for Wildcats

Sierra Canyon went on to defeat Grayson High School (Georgia) 60-46 thanks to Bryce‘s efforts, which will be good news for the University of Arizona State Wildcats after he declared for their 2025 class.

He did struggle during the Strive for Greatness program in 2024 and only averaged 6.9 points in 14 games, shooting for 39% from the field and 36.8% from three-pointers.

So his performance in the Hoophall Classic will also be another encouraging sign for the Wildcats as he proved he is capable of shooting the numbers they’ll be expecting.

Rated a four-star recruit by ESPN, Bryce stands at 6ft 4in and specializes as a small forward, and also had offers from the Ohio State Buckeyes and Duquesne Dukes.