So this mixtape has been getting a lot of play today:
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/page/instantawesome-bronny-150223/lebron-james-jr-court-vision-dad
A few things are immediately obvious. In order: 1) this is LeBron’s kid. 2) Little Bronny’s got a great handle for a ten year old. 3) He’s also ten years old.
This mixtape speaks to a growing trend within the basketball community – the race to discover (and profile) kids as young as possible. Scouting services are increasingly ranking kids younger than ever before. Middle-School rankings have become commonplace – so a mixtape for a 5th-grader doesn’t come as any real surprise. But it should serve as a harbinger of things to come as the recruiting landscape in America continues to evolve.
The big question is what does this tape ACTUALLY mean? Does it mean Lil’ Bronny is destined for a long NBA career? Does it mean he’ll play crunch time minutes in meaningful college basketball games? Does it even mean that he’ll star on his high school squad? Not necessarily. Mostly the tape serves to help ESPN drive traffic during today's media cycle.
There’s a lot to be said in other forums about the impact this attention has on a 5th-grader’s psychological development, but in the most immediate basketball context it guarantees nothing. Just ask Michael Jordan’s kids.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/page/instantawesome-bronny-150223/lebron-james-jr-court-vision-dad
A few things are immediately obvious. In order: 1) this is LeBron’s kid. 2) Little Bronny’s got a great handle for a ten year old. 3) He’s also ten years old.
This mixtape speaks to a growing trend within the basketball community – the race to discover (and profile) kids as young as possible. Scouting services are increasingly ranking kids younger than ever before. Middle-School rankings have become commonplace – so a mixtape for a 5th-grader doesn’t come as any real surprise. But it should serve as a harbinger of things to come as the recruiting landscape in America continues to evolve.
The big question is what does this tape ACTUALLY mean? Does it mean Lil’ Bronny is destined for a long NBA career? Does it mean he’ll play crunch time minutes in meaningful college basketball games? Does it even mean that he’ll star on his high school squad? Not necessarily. Mostly the tape serves to help ESPN drive traffic during today's media cycle.
There’s a lot to be said in other forums about the impact this attention has on a 5th-grader’s psychological development, but in the most immediate basketball context it guarantees nothing. Just ask Michael Jordan’s kids.
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