Coaches like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo from the NBA’s Peach Jam
Coaches like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo from the NBA’s Peach Jam.
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The Riverview Park Activities Centre, located two hours outside of Atlanta, attracts a large number of NBA players each year who come to see and coach the next generation of youthful talent.
Among other great stars Rajon Rondo was also sitting there. LeBron James, star of the Los Angeles Lakers, surprised his son Bryce and his Strive For Greatness squad on Wednesday night to help coach them.
Not only did LeBron James have one of the greatest players of all time as his head coach, but four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo was sitting next to him on the bench. The three coaches on the sidelines all wore team shirts and shorts and were quite involved in the game, discussing the players’ careers and offering advise throughout.
The contest was intense as both teams played well, but the Florida Rebels ultimately prevailed 72-67 to improve to 3-0 in pool play. The score for Strive For Greatness evened out at 1-1 after Thursday night’s game against the formidable Mokan Elite (Kansas).
Bryce, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard in the class of 2025, scored a game-high nine points despite struggling from long range, going 1-for-6.
James has served as a coach at Peach Jam before. His eldest son, Bronny, played against Jett Howard, the son of NBA star Juwan Howard and the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft, and he was back on the bench coaching him two years ago.
James is constantly on the move as a coach, whether he’s calling plays, sketching up potential scenarios during timeouts, or pulling players away to address errors.
Since 2018, when he served as a coach at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Rondo has been actively involved in coaching the next generation of young talent, making regular appearances during the offseason at various camps and tournaments to disseminate his knowledge of the game, particularly at the point guard position.
Chris Paul showed up to the main gym on Wednesday afternoon to cheer on his EYBL team, CP3, as they took against Team Final (Pennsylvania). Every year for the past decade, Paul has taken his family on the trip to North Augusta to volunteer as coaches at the annual Peach Jam event.
G.G. Jackson, the 45th choice of this year’s NBA Draft, is one of several former players from his programme. Others include Montrezl Harrell, Theo Pinson, Wendell Carter Jr., Coby White, and Montrezl Harrell.
Paul will hold his CP3 camp in Los Angeles in August, inviting 25 of the best guards from the upcoming senior high school class and college freshmen and sophomores.
A lot of young players don’t have the chance to play 5-on-5 with established NBA players like Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rudy Gay, and DeMar DeRozan, but he gave them the opportunity last year.
This week at Peach Jam, Carmelo Anthony is watching his son Kiyan play up a division for Team Melo. Anthony, who has recently retired, has been a regular sight at the premier AAU tournament all spring and summer long, cheering for his son and his team.
Anthony sat courtside for the epic showdown between Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer on Wednesday morning after spending last year’s Peach Jam helping coach up Cam Whitmore, who was drafted twenty-first overall by the Houston Rockets.
Bradley Beal, with his club Brad Beal Elite, is the most consistent figure of all the NBA stars and past players who help coach and support the high school players at the greatest AAU event of the summer. He is present on the sidelines for the vast majority of games during the regular EYBL season, and he also makes an appearance to coach at Peach Jam.
On Wednesday, Beal coached Brad Beal Elite to a 55-52 victory over Tre Johnson and Houston Hoops, two of the top three players in the incoming senior class.
Many NBA players, including Jayson Tatum, Darius Garland, Moses Moody, Nick Smith Jr., and Brandon Miller (the No. 2 choice in the 2023 NBA Draft), played for Beal’s team before making it to the big leagues.
Since Monday, NBA scouts have been present at Peach Jam, and as of Thursday, college coaches have been given access to the event to scout talent. With so many NBA stars in attendance this week, it will be difficult for coaches and scouts to ignore the action on the floor and instead focus on the stars sitting courtside.
