“#Facts The best shooter in this household for sure! 👌🏾 #FlameThrower🔥” In 2018, LeBron James tweeted about his youngest son’s shooting abilities. Listed at 6-4 and 190 pounds and, at 17, there is a lot of time for Bryce James to grow. However, it seems the last couple of weeks have not been kind, as he lost his #1 spot in HS Basketball NIL rankings as per On3. And now, one of his former teams seems to have found a new sensation.

Notre Dame High waited a long time for the debut of a 6-foot-7 junior. And the people of Sherman Oaks got just that thanks to the phenomenal performance of Tyran Stokes. On Friday night, the transfer from Prolific Prep scored 20 points in an 82-55 victory over Fairfax. After winning a gold medal with the USA’s under-17 national team during the summer, the expectations were high. But sadly, due to a wrist injury, the debut got delayed.

“He’s a great player, easy to play with, and will only get better as he gets back into shape. His wrist is healed. Surgery did his job.” Coach Matt Sargeant happily shared the update about Stokes. Interestingly, last year, in August, it seemed the coach would also add Bryce James to his roster. But it was not the case, and it was a triangle of moves for the three-star recruit.

First, Bryce transferred from Sierra Canyon to Campbell Hall in May and from Campbell Hall to Notre Dame in August. Later, James reportedly unenrolled from Notre Dame and returned his school equipment, without having played a game for the school. It became the third transfer in six months as he went back to Sierra Canyon.

Bryce James NIL valuation takes a hit, while the main competitor sores high

Currently, being number 5th as per the On3 High School Basketball NIL Rankings, the Ohio native was once at the top of the list. Not only that, he was top 15 NIL athletes in all sports. But the recent emergence of the projected 2026 first-overall NBA draft, has changed the landscape for LeBron James’ youngest.

AJ Dybantsa has soared to $2.8 million, an increase of $400k in just a month. the Utah Prep School star bumped up his NIL value from $2.05 million to $2.2 million, then $2.4 million. Thanks to two major contributors, Nike and Red Bull. For the energy drink brand, he is the first men’s basketball player to sign a NIL deal in the history of their existence.

In the top 100 NIL athletes in all sports, Dybantsa is currently #6 meanwhile, Bryce James is #44. But now sidelined with an injury, the Sierra Canyon star would hope to come back as soon as possible and help his team rake as many points as possible. So that he could prove his critics wrong, as he returned to his former team and in that process also built on his NIL.