June 27, 2024, proved to be one of the greatest days in LeBron James‘ life, as that was when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That meant father and son had become teammates on the Lakers, but while the family celebrated, others called foul.
Nepotism claims were thrown around, with the belief being that the Lakers drafted Bronny only because of LeBron. It’s something that the latter understandably doesn’t believe is true. LeBron defended Bronny from the nepotism talk during his interview with Time Magazine.
“The kid has earned his right to be a professional athlete,” LeBron said. “The thing you’re not going to do is throw stones at us as a family. I’m not letting that sh-t slide, because I know what I’ve created because of what I didn’t have. So if you want to talk about the kid, that he shouldn’t be an NBA player, I don’t care about that. As long as you don’t get to the fatherhood piece. I don’t play those games.”
LeBron was likely referring to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith there when he brought up fatherhood. Smith is really the only person we’ve seen him go off on when it comes to this subject.
LeBron infamously confronted Smith during a game between the Lakers and the New York Knicks in March 2025. He had taken offense to the analyst essentially questioning his parenting back in January that year, and wasn’t going to let that slide. That also served as a clear warning to everyone else.
As for Bronny, Lakers head coach JJ Redick made it clear at the youngster’s introductory press conference that he earned his place in the NBA. He had averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game as a freshman at USC after suffering a cardiac arrest before the season, but Redick thought he could become an excellent player.
Well, Bronny hasn’t come close to becoming one yet, but he has shown improvement. The 21-year-old averaged 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26, while shooting 50.0% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
Bronny got his first real taste of playoff basketball in 2026 and had some good stretches as the Lakers made it to the Western Conference Semifinals. Notably, he and LeBron connected for the first father-son alley-oop in playoff history in the first round against the Houston Rockets.
Playing with Bronny was a dream come true for LeBron, and their assisting each other on the court has given him much joy.
“Out of all the sh-t I’ve done in basketball,” LeBron said, “That’s the best accomplishment I’ve ever had.”
We’re unlikely to see this happen ever again. These two might not be teammates on the Lakers for much longer, though. While Bronny is under contract next season, LeBron is a free agent this summer.
Staying with the Lakers is reportedly LeBron’s preferred option, but there is still some uncertainty here. Should he leave and go elsewhere, you’d imagine Bronny would follow him. It will be fascinating to see how this situation pans out.
