Bronny James has led the way in the NIL space long before he stepped foot on USC’s campus. Boardroom breaks down his earnings thus far.
Being the son of one of the best basketball players ever to live certainly has its perks. But Bronny James, a freshman at USC, is making a name for himself in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space.
With LeBron surpassing $1 billion in career earnings in 2021, it’s safe to say the James family isn’t hurting for money. But Bronny is securing his own bag, anyway. Not only was he the top high school NIL earner in the nation before becoming a Trojan, but he also boasts the top NIL valuation, period. And he leads the way by a good margin, with the second-highest value — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — sitting roughly $1.3 million behind the eldest James son in On3.com’s NIL valuation rankings.
Now with USC, where fellow Trojan Caleb Williams is currently raking it at No. 5 in the On3 NIL 100, James will keep his NIL portfolio — managed by Klutch Sports Group — in Southern California. As he readies to make his collegiate debut, Boardroom breaks down the deals that have helped Bronny build an NIL empire.
Bronny James NIL Market Value
All data via On3.com’s NIL rankings.
Overall NIL rank: 1
College basketball NIL rank: 1
10-week high: $6,100,000
10-week low: $5,800,000
Total followers: 13.5 million (7.7M on Instagram, 5.8M on TikTok, 24K on X)
The above monetary figures are via On3’s NIL Valuation, a proprietary algorithm that “establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.”
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Bronny James Notable NIL Deals
Beats by Dre
Bronny is carrying on the family name on and off the court with his NIL deal with Beats by Dre. LeBron was the first athlete ambassador to sign with the company in 2008, and now, 14 years later, his son was the first high school athlete on the Beats roster. The two documented the full-circle moment with a commercial that had the James duo play 1-on-1 on a backyard hoop.
While Bronny became the first high school athlete to join the Beats family, the company already boasts NIL deals with the likes of Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, and Shedeur Sanders.
Nike
“For as long as I can remember, Nike’s been a part of my family,” Bronny James said in a statement. “Getting a chance to team up with them and continue my family’s legacy both on the court and in the community is wild — it really means a lot to me.”
There’s that word again — family. Considering LeBron boasts a lifetime, billion-dollar deal with The Swoosh, it’s not surprising in the slightest to see Bronny’s name as one of the five athletes chosen for Nike’s first-ever NIL deal. Joining Bronny in this exclusive partnership are Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, DJ Wagner, and JuJu Watkins.
Toward the end of his high school career, during practice in the week ahead of the McDonald’s game — an Adidas event — all players could be seen repping the Three Stripes on their feet. Everyone but Bronny and Wagner, that is.
Just like in practice, Bronny and Wagner wore Adidas-sponsored jerseys for Tuesday’s game — as well as the Dunk Contest, in which Bronny participated — but with the NIL deal in place, don’t expect either of them to venture away from The Swoosh when it comes to their kicks.
PSD Underwear
PSD Underwear has an impressive roster for athlete partnerships — Ja Morant, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Trae Young, to name a few. And those are just the hoopers, as the list goes on when factoring in other sports, artists, influencers, etc.
Bronny, however, is the youngest ever to have partnered with the brand, yet again making history with his NIL dealings. In terms of other NIL-specific deals, PSD is in business with the Cavinder twins of Miami as well as Alabama’s JD Davison. With the deal — his first major NIL partnership — Bronny has his own signature line at PSD, a brand he’s supposedly been wearing “for as long as I can remember,” he said in a statement.
More NIL Deals:
