Submission isn’t a choice for LeBron James on the basketball court. As a leader and a voice of reason, he places immense demands on not only himself but everyone around him. The rigid discipline has enabled him to be the ‘King’. But there are places where his heart melts and he transports back to being just himself. It’s when he turns from the NBA great to a dad once he enters the doors of his home.

Starring in Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’, the series dwells on his life as a father. Despite all the hardships he might be tackling with the Lakers, once he sees the sparkling faces of his three children, he finds comfort. It’s his favorite role in life. “I love my kids for sure like all three of them. They can’t do no wrong in my eyes to be completely honest,” he said on the show.

Having two sons at first, the Akron Hammer was supportive but also a disciplinarian to both Bronny and Bryce James. The apple of his eye though he admits to be his daughter. “Whenever she smiles, it don’t matter what I’m doing, it makes me happy,” he said in 2021. Since then, he has shared a trip to Paris with his daughter, dancing and being a complete girl dad to his “princess”. It’s a policy NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal follows, but with less effort to conceal it. “Got lot more love for the girls than I do for the boys,” he said on a podcast.

With his two sons, he could lose his temper and push them to a greater extent. With Zhuri, the 6’9″ forward becomes a gentle giant. “I mean obviously my daughter, she gets away with way more than my boys. Rightfully so, that’s my baby girl,” he professed on Starting 5. She too could recall his forgiveness at the time she pulled an April Fool’s prank on the 39-year-old.

Safe to say, Zhuri James is the most protected person in the James household.

How parenthood has helped LeBron James excel as a leader

Even though James can stack up a mansion with the number of accolades he has, his biggest achievement is being the greatest dad to his three children. Having grown up without the influence of a father, the 39-year-old akins his parenthood to his mother Gloria.  “Everything I know about being loving and caring, and sacrificing and showing up and being present in my children’s lives—I learned all of that from her example,” he said in a touching essay for his glorious mother.

Yet unknowingly, those lessons and teachings from being a parent have helped him evolve as a basketball leader. Since the young age of 18, the King has had the responsibility of being the pillar of any franchise he has played for. When dealing with the different personalities of his children, he understood the value of patience. Utilizing that, he began to study his teammates to find their ways of motivation.

Several of his teammates have reeled about his traits as a leader and a friend. Richard Jefferson, who spent time with him in Cleveland explained his efforts to ensure the “team is a cohesive unit off the court”. He takes the role with equal gravitas as being the colossal influence he in on the court. 

Hosting parties or calling teammates over for dinners is common to James. Creating that camaraderie and “personal relationships” aids him in getting to know his teammates for who they truly are. And with that knowledge, he operates at their wavelength, pushing them to be the best version of themselves.

It’s no surprise that most groups he has been a part of were evidently close and knit together like a family. He simulates such a sitting due to the principles he values as a parent.