The 2021 March Madness Tournament is the one NCAA basketball event that’s on a lot of sports bettors’ minds right now. However, there’s another NCAAB betting market that’s available to wager on: choosing which college will successfully recruit Bronny James, LeBron’s son.
Currently, James is a 16-year-old sophomore at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, California. With him being the son of one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, it’s no wonder that people are already trying to figure out which college he’ll attend.
Bovada has put out an odds list about which NCAA schools have the best odds of recruiting Bronny James. As it stands, North Carolina Central leads the way at +130. Other close odds include Duke (+140) and Howard (+500).
Which School Will Bronny James Play His First NCAA Game For?
Odds via Bovada as of Friday, March 26
- North Carolina Central +130
- Duke +140
- Howard +500
- North Carolina A&T +1000
- Kentucky +1000
- Kansas +1200
- UCLA +1200
- North Carolina +1800
North Carolina Central, Duke Have Top Odds to Recruit Bronny James
When it comes to the odds list of where Bronny James will attend college, two schools have better odds than the rest: North Carolina Central (+130) and Duke (+140).
North Carolina Central (NCCU) is a historically Black university (HBCU) that has been trying to recruit James for quite some time. Back in January 2020, they were the first program to offer him a scholarship. He’s also close with Mikey Williams, who is projected to be a top-3 pick in the 2023 NBA Entry Draft. Williams has floated around the idea of attending an HBCU. There were also rumors that he and James could team up in the NCAA. NCCU would give them that opportunity.
Bronny James could also wind up playing for Duke. For starters, Duke is one of the schools that he listed as being interested in attending on his 247 Sports profile. However, James’ father may play a role in him possibly attending Duke.
Mike Krzyzewski, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, still mans the bench at Duke. He’s also coached LeBron at the Olympics. It was just back in 2018 that LeBron said he hopes that Krzyzewski is Duke’s coach once his son is old enough to play college basketball.
Assuming that “Coach K” is still coaching when 2023 rolls around, Duke could have a good shot at recruit Bronny James.
Another HBCUs Tops Odds List
Howard University and North Carolina A&T have the third and fourth-best odds of recruiting Bronny James. If the prospect is committed to attending an HBCU, it’d make sense that two of the bigger programs are on his list. Not a lot of top prospects attending HBCUs due to their lack of national exposure, but that could be changing in upcoming years. More future draftees are considering it and if someone as big as James decides to attend Howard or any other HBCU, more future NBA players could follow in his steps.
Bronny James Has Four More Teams on 247 Sports List
Aside from Duke, Bronny James has four more teams listed on his 247 Sports profile. Those happen to be the bottom four teams on Bovada’s odds list: Kentucky (+1000), Kansas (+1200), UCLA (+1200) and North Carolina (+1800). All four schools have nationally-renowned NCAA basketball programs that would help James prepare for his jump to the NBA.
Now, James’ decision could go either way. His interest in each of the five schools on his list is listed as “cool.” According to 247 Sports, that’s the default setting, which progresses to “warm,” “warmer” and “hot” as the top-level, indicating that it’s nearly certain that a player will commit to that school.
