Dennis Rodman’s Son DJ Connects with Bronny James at USC

Dennis Rodman, the renowned basketball legend, has passed down his athletic genes to his son, Dennis “DJ” Jr. Rodman. At the age of 22, DJ is a talented athlete following in his father’s footsteps. After completing high school at JSerra Catholic High School, DJ went on to play as a forward for the Washington State Cougars for four seasons. He was able to compete against other reputed universities during the 2022-2023 season, including Boise State, Stanford, and the University of Southern California (USC).

In a surprising turn of events, Bronny James, the son of basketball superstar LeBron James, is also pursuing a college athletic career. Bronny took to Instagram to announce his commitment to attend USC, where he will play basketball. And in an exciting twist, DJ revealed that he would be joining Bronny at USC, making them teammates.

DJ Rodman and Bronny James: Teammates at USC

In May 2023, DJ Rodman made a significant announcement on Instagram – he had decided to transfer to USC. Rodman expressed his excitement with a post captioned, “All these ups and downs, lefts and rights led me to Fight On #committed #gotrojans.” Due to a recent NCAA ruling granting players an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, DJ, who had already completed four seasons with Washington State, now has the opportunity for one more year of participation at the collegiate level.

Two months later, DJ Rodman spoke about his interactions with Bronny James in an interview with “The Schmo.” He mentioned their positive rapport, stating, “I mean, it’s good. He’s young. He’s 18. I have the veteran experience, so I can really put him under my wing. And I just want to be that role model … Obviously, he’s got a role model himself in his dad.” DJ expressed his desire to lead the way for James and their teammates. The USC Trojans will begin their upcoming season with a game against Kansas State on November 6, as reported by ESPN. However, James’ availability for the team’s games remains uncertain due to a recent health emergency.

Uncertain Times for Bronny James

The status of Bronny James’ involvement with the USC Trojans basketball team this season is currently uncertain. In July 2023, ESPN reported that Bronny went into cardiac arrest during a basketball practice but was in a stable condition following medical attention. TMZ Sports later reported that Bronny and his father sought further treatment for him at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

As of August 2023, CBS Sports stated that it is still too early to determine whether Bronny will make a return to the Trojans. In the meantime, DJ Rodman is fully committed to playing for USC. The USC men’s basketball program revealed on Twitter that DJ would be proudly wearing the number 10 jersey, just like his father, Dennis Rodman, did during his time at USC. While this number was retired in 2020 to honor USC basketball alumnus DeMar DeRozan, DeRozan gave his blessing for DJ to wear it while playing for USC. DJ also shared a photo on Instagram in August 2023, showing himself and his teammates in Athens, Greece, during the team’s summer tour.