The prestigious star-studded Crossroads prep school in Santa Monica, Calif., is getting more popular with sports fans because next year’s boys varsity team could feature the sons of both LeBron James[1] and Shaquille O’Neal[2].
Bronny James, 14, a 5-foot-11 guard with 3-point range, is set to be a teammate of Shaqir O’Neal, 15, a shooting guard who grew 5 inches last year to reach 6-foot-5.
Crossroads — the alma mater of Jack Black, Kate Hudson, Jonah Hill and Liv Tyler — is an arty, creative school where teachers are addressed by their first names. James made about $35.6 million this year. Last year, he averaged 35 minutes per game. One year of tuition at Crossroads is $41,063, so Dad will have to play about four minutes to settle the balance.
“It’s not a sporty school for jocks,” one parent told me. “But now the bleachers will be packed, partly with scouts.”
Shaq often attended Crossroads games as his older son Shareef, a 6-foot-9 power forward, led the team to the state’s Division II championship last season. Shareef, now at UCLA, is sitting out this season following minor heart surgery[3].
“It was fun watching Shaq watching his son — better than watching a Knicks game,” said the Crossroads parent.
The prospect of having both Shaq and LeBron in the stands has made it even harder for parents to get their toddlers into the school.
“Every dad wants his kid to go to Crossroads so he can go to the games and hang with LeBron and Shaq,” said another source.
Money manager Paul Wachter, who sent his daughter to Crossroads, is credited with steering LeBron to the school after putting him into a