There is a new Los Angeles Lakers player who can get LeBron James to blush.
The newly drafted guard, who will wear No. 9 for the upcoming season, knows James better than anyone on the team but is still determining how he will address the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA.
“I haven’t gotten there yet,” Bronny James said Monday while attending his first Lakers media day.
“It’s probably gonna be ‘Bron.’ Bron would be the easiest,” LeBron James’ son mused when picturing what to say when calling for the ball from the famed No. 23 in practice.
The family combo giggled and smiled while sitting next to each other on the Spectrum SportsNet LA set as the pair were asked about the unique situation that would play out during the upcoming season.
The pair is expected become the first father-son to play together on an NBA team.
When dad was asked about what it was like to be experiencing this moment with his oldest son, LeBron James called it “pure joy.”
“When it comes to him (Bronny), I’m just at a loss for words. (I’m) just super proud of him to be able to get to this point,” LeBron James said while his son sat next to him. “He’s a man, and he’s ready to go.”
The 19-year-old Bronny James, whose jersey is emblazed with “James Jr.” across the back, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft in June.
The duo quibbled in jest over an incident from an earlier practice session when Bronny claimed his stout defense caused his dad to step out of bounds.
“I looked at the film, and he did step out of bounds, but I’m not going to go there, go there right now,” Bronny recounted.
LeBron James quickly responded, “What do you mean you’re not going to go there right now? You just went there!”
The uniqueness of watching his son achieve his goals is not lost on dad.
“It’s just so joyous to be able to see him grow and to know what he has been through over the last couple of years. And to just use that as motivation every single day and to get back and get to where he wanted to be,” LeBron James said.
The four-time NBA champion disclosed a story about when he first knew his oldest son was destined for greatness.
LeBron and his wife Savannah were like any other parents watching their five-year-old kid playing youth basketball when Bronny showed his father a glimpse of the future.
“He grabbed the rebound and drove coast to coast through the lane, through a couple of other kids, and laid it up and had a little trot back,” LeBron James recounted.
“I looked over at his mom, and I was like ‘Oh, he’s special.’”
The Lakers face the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game on Friday in Los Angeles.
The same two teams will open their 2024-25 regular season schedules on October 22.
