Why Did Oregon Ducks’ Crowd Boo Bronny James Every Time He Touched the Ball?

Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, faced a hostile crowd at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday, as the Oregon Ducks fans booed him every time he touched the ball. The reason behind the crowd’s reaction to Bronny might stem back to the summer.

Why Did Bronny James Get Booed by Oregon Ducks’ Crowd?

The freshman guard, who is ranked as the No. 19 recruit in the 2023 class by ESPN, had previously shown interest in Oregon, but ultimately chose to commit to the USC Trojans in May.

Some people speculate that the Oregon students are still bitter about James’ decision, and wanted to make him feel unwelcome in Eugene. Others argue that the booing was simply a way of showing support for their own team, and trying to rattle the opponent.

Regardless of the motive, the crowd noise didn’t seem to have an effect on James, who finished with only 5 points in 14 minutes action, which is on par with same numbers he’s been putting up.

James did manage to hit his first jumpshot off the dribble, a mid-range pull-up that silenced the crowd momentarily. However, he still looked hesitant to attack the basket, possibly due to his lackluster ball-handling skills.

The Trojans, meanwhile, continued their disappointing season, as they fell to the Ducks 82-74. USC is now 6-6 on the year, despite having a talented roster that includes four-star and five-star recruits Kobe Johnson, Isaiah Collier, Bronny James, and Arrinten Page, the Trojans have struggled to find consistency and chemistry under coach Andy Enfield. They have lost four of their last five games, and have yet to beat a ranked opponent.

The Ducks, on the other hand, improved to 9-3 overall, and 1-0 in the Pac-12. They were led by Kwame Evans Jr, who scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Oregon also got a boost from Jackson Shelstad, who had 21 points.

At this point Bronny James is probably immune to the hate he receives on a daily basis, just off the strength of him being Lebron James’ son. The Oregon Ducks crowd booing him is something that will likely happen again in other arenas, so he might as well get used to that. The Trojans will try to bounce back in their next game.