LeBron James: 'There's a Chance' Bronny Commits to Oregon; Altman's a 'Great Coach'

Don't rule the Oregon Ducks out when it comes to the recruitment of Bronny James.

"He's going to make his own decision," James' father, LeBron, said of the possibility that the high-profile recruit joins the Ducks, per Bill Oram of the Oregonian. "But there's a chance."

While Oram pointed out Dana Altman hasn't yet offered James a scholarship, the Los Angeles Lakers star said the Oregon head coach is a major reason Bronny is interested.

"I think it's the ability to put pros into the league," James said. "My son wants to be a pro. It's the way you hold guys accountable, the way they play. I guess he's seen the way they play. Dana Altman from the outside looks like a great coach.

"He's been winning for quite a while here at Oregon, so Bronny's smart enough to see all that."

Altman isn't the only thing working in Oregon's favor.

James' close friend, Mookie Cook, is part of the Ducks' 2023 recruiting class. He is a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and a major reason the Pac-12 team has the No. 8 class in the country for the current recruiting cycle.

"Mookie is going there, and they've been talking," LeBron said.

The addition of James, who is a 4-star prospect and the No. 33 overall player in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, would only help Oregon maintain its current recruiting momentum as it looks to reestablish itself as a Pac-12 contender.

At this point, the Ducks are considered one of three finalists alongside Ohio State and USC, per Luca Evans of the Los Angeles Times.

That means Oregon is facing something of a difficult battle since the Trojans play in Los Angeles, where LeBron's Lakers play. And Evans noted the Buckeyes are LeBron's "favorite," seeing how the future Hall of Famer grew up in Ohio and has said multiple times he would have strongly considered playing there if he didn't go straight to the NBA from high school.

The straight to the NBA option isn't available for Bronny, but ESPN's Jonathan Givony wrote, "He'll be in strong consideration as a first-round prospect in our initial 2024 NBA mock draft when that is released in the coming weeks."

While Bronny isn't as physically imposing or as surefire of a prospect as his father was at the same age, he is still an excellent passer who can make plays in transition, finish at the rim and score as a jump-shooter.

He has elevated up the recruiting rankings as his final season at Sierra Canyon continues, and he will surely make headlines given his own talent and his family name wherever he decides to attend college.

That could very well be at Oregon.