Bronny James has an option to follow the path LeMelo Ball and Kai Sotto has taken.
Where should Bronny James go before fulfilling his NBA dreams? LaVar Ball says go to Australia.
The path that the son of NBA superstar LeBron James could take has been the subject of much speculation. Those options include going to any college in the United States or maybe even join the NBA's G League.
The King himself, who was drafted straight after high school, earlier said Bronny could go to any college he wants. All LBJ has to do is pick up the phone.
But if it were for the Big Baller businessman and the patriarch of the Ball family, Bronny should just become a pro off the bat.
Asked by Sporting News Australia whether Bronny should play in Australia's National Basketball League, Ball answered in the affirmative.
"You're gonna have all these players in college. You can go set your own stage across the water," Ball said, talking about the playbook he set for his son LaMelo. "He already got the name. So people want to see. You're going to fill up the gym because things happen when you're young and you're like that and your dad is where you're at. What made our crowd so big is the way I talk about my boys."
"A lot of people don't want to see LeBron's son do good and a lot of them don't want to say he can't play against no grown man," Ball added.
There's also one aspect why he considers playing in the NBL a much better experience than entering college in the US.
"You're playing against grown men and you're getting paid," Ball pointed out. "If you want to play basketball and you're really that dude, why am I sitting in class trying to pass a chemistry test?"
"I don't play no chemistry. I don't want to just practice Spanish. I want to wake up, go practice, go back to sleep, go practice, have a game, practice. That's all I want to do. And I don't want to be like, 'Hey, I'll meet you in the student union for study.'"
Another reason why Ball believes playing overseas is better than studying in the US is the focus it provides the players, noting how controversy-free Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been.
"The development that these guys are having over here in Europe is something special. All your heavy hitters now are not from Cali," Ball said. "They don't come with excess baggage because they're just dialed in."
Filipino center Kai Sotto had a similar path. After garnering the attention of scouts during his national team stint as a youth, he left Ateneo de Manila High School to join Atlanta-based preparatory program The Skill Factory before going on to the NBA G League Ignite. In 2021, Sotto moved to Australia to play with the Adelaide 36ers. A couple of years later, he signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B.League. He still vows to make his NBA dream a reality.
Ball's son LaMelo was actually a top prospect for the NCAA before his link to the Big Baller Brand threatened his eligibility. LaMelo instead went to Lithuania before eventually flying to Australia and played with the Illawarra Hawks. While he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2020 and was hailed Rookie of the Year, the young Ball suffered a season-ending injury back in February due to a fractured ankle.
His brother, Lonzo, was also ruled out of playing because of a recurring knee issue.
The older Ball though remains optimistic, "By themselves, they're good. But all together, they're great."
"All my boys had surgery. All three of them. So they're going to rehab at the same time."