‘Of course we want him:’ Mookie Cook is trying hard to recruit Bronny James to Oregon
One of the most high-profile but sparsely covered recruitments in the last decade of college basketball is currently taking place, and the Oregon Ducks have found their way into the middle of it.
4-star guard Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, has yet to decide where he is going to play his college ball. He reportedly narrowed down his list to three schools — Oregon, the home of Nike; Ohio State, the home of his father; USC, his current home — but outside of a visit to Columbus for a football game between the Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish last year, there haven’t been any reported visits to note for the prodigal son, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 33 player in the 2023 class.
His recruitment has an air of secrecy surrounding it, and many in the business have said that in order to try and speak to the athlete, or even members of his circle, you have to go through several layers of barriers first.
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Despite the secrecy, it understandably has not tempered the recruitment from outside parties. This week at the McDonald’s All-American game, James has been a popular point of discussion, especially after finishing second in the slam dunk contest on Monday night.
Oregon signee Mookie Cook, a 5-star player in the 2023 class, was recently asked about the prospect of his longtime friend, Bronny, joining him in Eugene.
“With him maybe going to Oregon, of course we want him, I want him,” Cook said, via 247Sports. “He’s super good on both sides of the ball. He a great point guard, he can shoot, get to the rim and pretty much do all three things. He’s a good leader.”
Cook, the No. 25 player in the 2023 class, has known James since their middle school years, and he’s seen the type of growth that he’s made over the years.
“His game is unbelievable,” Cook said. “I’ve gotten to see it since eighth grade, seventh grade and I’ve thought since then that he’s always been super great and has got the talent. I don’t know what people are talking about him blowing up. I feel like he’s been good.”
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Having a long-standing relationship isn’t the only connection between Cook and James. The Oregon signee recently starred in a movie, Shooting Stars, where he played a high school version of LeBron James on the big screen.
Of course, on top of the connection with Cook, Bronny James is also very familiar with fellow Oregon signee KJ Evans, a 5-star who is rated as the No. 11 player in 2023. Evans has also been openly recruiting Bronny to Eugene over the past couple of months.
On top of all of that, there is the Nike connection as well. LeBron has signed a lifetime deal with Nike and has a close relationship with Phil Knight, an Oregon alum and notable Ducks’ booster. Earlier this year, when LeBron broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record, Bronny and his younger brother, Bryce, were seen sitting courtside with Knight.
It’s safe to say that the connections are there.
Does that mean that Bronny will end up in Eugene as a Duck at the start of the 2023 season? It’s impossible to say at this point. However, we can feel confident that there are a number of people around him trying to steer him in the direction of the Pacific Northwest.
