Possibly the most famous college basketball recruit in recent history, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., has been recently narrowing down options of where to begin his collegiate career. While USC, Oregon, and Ohio State have all been rumored to be his top three schools, Bronny has declared his intent to go to a school that many basketball fans would’ve never guessed: the University of Maryland.

The decision, which caused immediate chaos in the basketball community, was posted on Twitter early Friday morning, January 27th, by Bronny himself. A representative from the Hare reached out to the James family, and got the honor of being one of the first to interview James’ firstborn son, as well as the NBA legend LeBron James, about Bronny’s recent commitment to UMD.

Bronny said that he “wanted something different” out of college, and he found that difference at Maryland. According to his father, Bronny is a big fan of rap music. “He listens to those lyrics, those rappers, saying that they ‘made it out the trap’ and admitting to crimes they committed and all that. Growing up in a cushy household isn’t ‘cool’ on the street, so Bronny wanted to go somewhere where he could become ‘hard’”, said LeBron. The nice campuses and surrounding areas of schools like USC turned away LeBron’s son, but a place like College Park is just where he wants to be. Bronny said it was “tough asf”  that he could “walk down Route 1 and see a 7-11 getting robbed, and several crackheads lurking on the street”.

LeBron’s eldest offspring also was drawn to UMD by the e-scooter and obnoxious bright red backpack that they promised him in his offer from the school. “Dude, those scooters are so cool!”, said Bronny, who dreams of whipping one around campus on the way to class, narrowly missing pedestrians. 

During Bronny’s official trip to UMD, several basketball players took him on a tour to experience everything that UMD had to offer. They got him some gourmet food at the dining hall, chased around squirrels while on VEO scooters, and even waited in an abhorrently long line at Cornerstone, just to get too tired and go home to smoke. When asked about his tour of the campus, he said it was “legendary”, and he couldn’t wait to attend school there next year.

Things are looking up for the UMD Men’s basketball team after the recruitment of Bronny James. The university also recently hired a new assistant coach, Riley Reid, to teach the team how to avoid choking. Maryland fans hope for a half-decent March Madness run, but we all are extremely optimistic about next year’s season.

Image Credits: Bennett Sellers