LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers team used their second-round pick in this year's draft to select his son Bronny James. But their connection shouldn't be mentioned on the court, according to LeBron.
LeBron said that Bronny can't call him “dad” when they're working out for the Lakers.
“We've made it clear. He can't call me dad in the workplace,” James said in an appearance on “The Shop” on Tuesday. “Once we leave the practice facility and the doors close, I can go back to being dad in the car if we're riding together.”
Acceptable terms Bronny can use to address his father include: “two-three,” “Bron,” or “GOAT.”
“We can't run down the court and have him say, 'Dad, push the ball up!' or 'Dad, I'm free, Dad!' No, you can't do that,” James said.
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Bronny James Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas and Mack Center on July 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
The Lakers' selection of Bronny with the 55th pick in June's draft was one of the most controversial stories to emerge from this year's NBA Draft.
Bronny's selection came after he played just one college season at USC, in which he started just six games. Off the bench, he averaged 4.8 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game, all of which were well below the average for typical NBA prospects, even for second-round picks.
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom said the only reason the 19-year-old was drafted was because of his father.
NBA COACH OFFERS POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON BRONNY JAMES' NBA CAREER
Bronny James Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of a 2024 California Summer League Classic game against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center on July 6, 2024, in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
“He may be a good guy, but he's not good enough to play in the NBA. The reason he got drafted is because of LeBron. The reason JJ Redick is the coach is because of LeBron,” he told OutKick's “Don't @ Me” in July.
Bronny has said he is aware of the criticism, but he also believes his statistics and performance at USC do not accurately reflect his performance as a player.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with his son Bronny James during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on November 19, 2023. (Kiyoshi Mio/USA Today Sports)
“It's certainly increased the pressure. I've seen it on social media and the internet and other things, talking about maybe I don't deserve a chance. But I've been dealing with things like this my whole life. It's nothing different. It's definitely intensified, but I can get through it,” he told reporters in early July.
“I feel like I've been given the opportunity to really show what I can do, because at USC I wasn't given that many opportunities.”
The teenager's college career began in terrifying fashion with a cardiac arrest while working out on campus shortly after participating in the McDonald's All-American Game in July 2023. He was determined to have a congenital heart defect and that delayed his debut with USC.
But regardless of how that has affected his short college career, Bronny is now a Lakers player. LeBron will do his best to keep their working relationship as professional as possible, regardless of his son's professional acumen.
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