The youngest son of NBA legend and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is on the move, reportedly changing schools in a significant shake-up ahead of his junior year. Bryce Maximus James is leaving Sierra Canyon High School for Campbell Hall, a source close to the decision told ESPN’s Myron Medcalf on Thursday.
This news comes on the heels of his older brother, Bronny James, finally settling on joining the USC Trojans — officially signing his letter of intent on Wednesday.
Bronny has garnered most of the recent attention among the James children, serving as ESPN’s No. 19 prospect and expected to be a top 10 draft pick in 2024. But Bryce’s size and potential have made him a sought-after player and well-liked option on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit.
Bryce James’ bag only gonna get DEEPER 🎒 @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/A4bczyBNkw
— Overtime (@overtime) May 14, 2023
He ranks outside the top 25 for ESPN’s 2025 recruiting class and No. 73 on the On3 recruiting board. Furthermore, he received his first Division I offer from Duquesne in August.
Duquesne becomes the first D1 offer for Bryce James (Class of 2025, 6’6” G/F), LeBron James’ youngest son. #GoDukes pic.twitter.com/xM8OqI7Zf9
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) August 22, 2022
Although the brothers played alongside one another during Bryce’s sophomore season, the emerging 6-foot-6 prospect will not follow Bronny’s path at Sierra Canyon. Instead, he will attend Campbell Hall, still based in the Los Angeles area, but in Studio City. According to ESPN’s source, the James family donated to create a new multimillion-dollar athletic facility on the school’s campus.
The Los Angeles Daily News first reported the news of Bryce’s potential transfer in late April after Campbell Hall hired David Grace, former UCLA assistant coach and Vanderbilt associate head coach, to take over its basketball program.
Story on David Grace's hire at Campbell Hall.
Grace is expected to coach LeBron James' youngest son – Bryce James (2025) – who is already enrolled at Campbell Hall for the fall.
Also, some tidbits on other pieces of the roster that Grace will inherit.https://t.co/zpF1XvCgae
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) April 28, 2023
“With David’s experience at high major college programs and his skill development success with middle and high school players, we are confident that David will build upon our culture and lead our program both on and off the court,” Campbell Hall director of athletics Kris King said, USA Today reported.
There has been speculation that Bryce’s lack of playing time during his sophomore season at Sierra Canyon played a role in this decision. However, while Bryce has made this reported departure from Sierra Canyon, it doesn’t come as a surprise; Campbell Hall has been known recently for its elite basketball prestige as a powerhouse for high schoolers and a development center for the sons of former NBA stars.
Famous alums include NBA’s Holiday brothers, Atlanta Hawks’ Aaron Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and Dallas Mavericks’ Justin Holiday.
The 15-year-old — 16 in June — will play this upcoming season among the Vikings’ roster of other notable sons, including Richard Hamilton II, son of the former NBA star and basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ Richard Hamilton, and Baron Bellamy, the son of comedian Bill Bellamy.
Bryce James is leaving Sierra Canyon and will play at Campbell Hall next season, per @MedcalfByESPN
His teammates will include Richard Hamilton II (son of Rip Hamilton) and Baron Bellamy (son of Bill Bellamy) pic.twitter.com/VOES0Ox28D
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 18, 2023
Newly minted head coach David Grace has coached on both the high school and collegiate level, serving as an assistant at Oregon State (2008—2013), UCLA (2013—2018), California (2018—2019) and Vanderbilt (2019—2021) before his most recent stint as the head coach of Centennial High School in Arizona last season.
Grace told ESPN’s Myron Medcalf he’s excited about helping Bryce reach his ceiling as a basketball player, especially in the spotlight.
“I want Bryce, if I get to coach him, to be Bryce,” Grace said. “He’s going to have way more than just me helping, but I’m going to try to do my part. I understand where he’s coming from to a point. I’m not him. My family wasn’t in that spotlight, but I’ve been around the spotlight, and I can share my experiences, or I can just understand his experiences. That’s where I’ll grow as a coach.”
Bryce James got next 🔥
(@CourtsideFilms) pic.twitter.com/S2rMWczleM
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 14, 2023
Grace has been on the job for two weeks yet has received nearly 60 calls from coaches nationwide who want to schedule Campbell Hall next season. That said, he emphasized to Medcalf that his priority is to create a schedule that challenges his players while pushing for their growth.
“We’ll try to put the puzzle together and make sure we play a great schedule,” he said.
Things will start to ramp up during Bryce’s upcoming junior year. With how things are going, his ceiling could be higher than Bronny’s.