USC Basketball: Trojan-Turned-NBA Superstar Unpacks Arrival Of Bronny James
During a recent two-hour-plus edition of Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Paul George's Podcast P show, Chicago Bulls All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan explained why he's excited for the arrival of former Sierra Canyon School shooting guard Bronny James, son of a certain 19-time NBA All-Star forward, to his own alma matter, USC, for the 2023-24 NCAA season.
DeRozan, a six-time All-Star while with the Bulls and Toronto Raptors (he never made the cut during his San Antonio Spurs tenure), was himself a decorated star during a one-and-done run with the program in 2008-09. The three-time All-NBA selection was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2009 and was also the Pac-10 Tournament MVP that season.
The advent of Bronny James could have a sizable impact in USC's standing around the college basketball landscape, DeRozan believes.
"The attention and everything that comes with [Bronny] being who he is, he handles it so well," DeRozan said. "Keeping that passion within LA, especially coming from Sierra Canyon and everything that they did there, taking it over to USC [is exciting]. Even when I went there I always used to wonder why we don't get more attention, why more guys don't want to come here and be in the middle of LA down the street from [at the time] Staples Center and really just build this university up, more for the basketball side. We all know [how important] football [is at USC] and everything, but basketball-wise, you just need that big name to come there and bring that attention in. He's the perfect person for that."
"I think the way he's come in, the way he's going to handle it, the attention he's going to bring, and the player that he is, I think is going to push 'SC to another level that we haven't seen," DeRozan opined.
Funnily enough, Bronny James isn't even the most highly-touted guard among USC's incoming freshmen, though he is of course the most famous. Isaiah Collier, a 6'4" point guard out of Murrieta, Georgia, was the top player in their national high school class, and is considered a top-five NBA lottery prospect at this juncture.
