LeBron James' son Bryce James vs Gilbert Arenas' son Alijah Arenas: Who is the better high school hooper?

Back in the 2000s, LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas had a rivalry of sorts, and this could continue with their sons, Bryce James and Alijah Arenas.

While Bryce is playing in his senior year, Alijah is still a junior, but both are playing in the same Los Angeles area.

While LeBron has gone on to have a better career overall than Gilbert Arenas, would that result still apply to their sons?

Bryce James vs. Alijah Arenas: Who is better?

Bryce James

Bryce James is a shooting guard playing for Sierra Canyon, a high school basketball powerhouse in Southern California. The Ohio native is ranked No. 204 nationally by On3, and he is also the No. 54-ranked shooting guard and the No. 26 overall in California for the Class of 2026.

When it comes to playstyle, Bryce James plays more like his dad, LeBron, than his brother, Bronny. However, he is not as explosive as the four-time NBA champion, though experts have pointed out that his skill set and basketball IQ are comparable to his superstar father.

He competed during this year's Nike EYBL Peach Jam but only managed to score an average of 5.6 points per game. He also had 2.4 rebounds and one block per game and only shot 31% from the field. This had many questioning why he was even named in the Top 100 prospects from the Class of 2025. He has not yet played an official game for Sierra Canyon in his senior year.

Alijah Arenas

As for Alijah Arenas, he is from the Class of 2026 but is ranked much higher than Bryce James. While Bryce is a three-star, Alijah is a five-star shooting guard who is playing for Chatsworth High School.

On3 ranks him No. 4 overall in the Class of 2026 and he is also the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 4 player in California.

Unlike Bryce, Alijah already has several games under his belt with his school team, Chatsworth High School. He averages 31.8 points per game, as well as 2.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game. He also has 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

Physically, scouts have noted that Alijah is built differently from his All-Star father, Gilbert Arenas, as he is taller and has more reach than the former Washington Wizard. However, he is much like his dad in several aspects, being a guard who knows how to score and is quite quick.

So, at the moment, Alijah Arenas seems to be well ahead of Bryce James. But sports is full of examples of unfulfilled potential and overachievement with modest means. Only time will tell who among these two youngsters will go on to have the better career.