Gonzaga target and five-star guard Jaden Bradley chooses Alabama over Bulldogs, four others

Jaden Bradley, a five-star point guard who was contemplating a future with Gonzaga, will instead play his college basketball at Alabama.

Bradley, the nation’s third-rated point guard, according to 247Sports.com, committed to the Crimson Tide on Thursday after listing Alabama, Gonzaga, Florida State, Arizona and Kentucky as his finalists.

The Concord, North Carolina, native, who plays high school basketball at Florida powerhouse IMG Academy, traveled to Spokane for his sixth and final recruiting visit, but the Bulldogs were unable to grab a commitment from the 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard.

Had Bradley committed to the Bulldogs, it would’ve marked the third time in as many recruiting classes that Gonzaga had grabbed a five-star prospect after securing commitments from Minnehaha (Minnesota) High School teammates Jalen Suggs (2020) and Chet Holmgren (2021).

Bradley is considered the nation’s No. 18 overall recruit by 247Sports.com, the No. 3 point guard and the sixth-rated prospect in Florida.

The Bulldogs are still in the running for at least one other five-star prospect, 6-7, 185-pound combo guard Anthony Black, out of Duncanville, Texas.

According to 247Sports.com, Black’s shown interest in Gonzaga, Duke, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, with each of the four schools labeled as “warm” by the recruiting site. Black has a visit to GU lined up on Oct. 9, which coincides with Kraziness in the Kennel.

Gonzaga got its first commitment in the 2022 recruiting class earlier this week when four-star power forward Braden Huff of the Chicago area picked the Bulldogs over a host of Big Ten schools.