Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, hasn’t always had it easy. Despite being the son of one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet, who also happens to be the only active billionaire basketball player, the spotlight of media was continuously on him. The same intensified after he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue basketball. Now, with him set to commence his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the young star may end up being compared to LeBron on a continuous basis. The way that his son has handled everything till has certainly made the All-Time Scorer proud.

LeBron James recently sat down for an interview with ESPN. Despite being busy in the training camp for the Team USA roster that will participate in the Paris Olympics, the player took some time out to speak out about his son. He commended Bronny for having a drive to succeed on his own terms, despite the fact that he could whatever he wants, whenever he wants, thanks to his father’s status. This caused him to admit that if he was ever in Bronny’s shoes, he may have never developed the motivation to get where he is today.

“When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice” said the 39-year-old. “I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city. Bronny has all the choices in the world. If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or wanted to be nothing to whatever, he could have done that.”

LeBron appreciated that despite having every resource available to him, despite suffering from heart related issues, and despite being a part of such a competitive field, Bronny James’ resilience and commitment does not seem to have a full stop.

Just like many NBA greats out there, the Lakers lead scorer was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was birthed by his mother, Gloria James, when she was just 16. His father was never a permanent part of his life due to his extensive criminal record and reportedly did not support the family financially. Due to his mother having to face difficulties in finding a good job, the young James was brought up in the roughest neighbourhoods of his hometown Akron. In order to provide a stable environment for her son, Gloria would seek the help of a youth football coach by the name of Frank Walker, who would introduce LeBron to basketball at the age of 9. And the rest, as they say, is history.

LeBron James has never shied away from mentioning the impact that his childhood had on his overall development. He and Frank Walker Jr continue to remain close even today, and have even partnered up to form their own clothing line ‘Unknwn.’ Back in November 2023, he highlighted the home of the coach, that was an integral part of his childhood, on his Instagram story and wrote “356 Hillwood will always be a part of my legacy! Saved my life! Literally saved me.”

King James had his share of challenges growing up. So does Bronny, though they differ. Fortunately, while his father was never there to support him, LeBron does his best to be there for his son whenever he can.

LeBron defends Bronny James’ debut during summer league

Bronny James recently made his NBA debut during the ongoing California Classic Summer League. While LeBron was not present to witness the same due to preparing for the Paris Olympics, he did catch up on the highlights. At one point, upon witnessing his son drop a memorable layup, the 39-year-old exclaimed “Come on man, that’s tough. That’s tough. Get loose.” The game ended with the 19-year-old only securing a score of 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal to his name. Despite the debut not ending on a high note, James Sr made it clear that this is still early times, and that his son should not be counted out so soon.

“You can’t take anything stat-wise from the California Classic and Summer League and bring it once the season starts,” said LeBron. “The only thing that matters is him getting better and stacking days.”

This is not the first time that LeBron has come out in defence of his son. After Bronny was dropped from ESPN’s Mock Draft back in February 2024 probably due to his abysmal stats at USC, the NBA star took to X to highlight that “The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do.”

LeBron considers Bronny to be the complete opposite of him. While he would choose to respond to any criticism directed towards him or his son, he thinks his son “does not care about nobody.” With his whole future ahead of him, Bronny’s temperament may be the key to carving out his path towards success.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.