Former NBA player Ron Harper Sr. has fired some shots at Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James over the years, and he was back at it on Saturday. Ron Sr. and his sons, Ron Harper Jr. and Dylan Harper, took part in the Shooting Stars Challenge, and he was asked afterward whether he envisioned both of them playing in the NBA.
“I’m not LeBron James, I’m not going to tell my kids what they have do,” Ron Sr. said. “I just want them to play and enjoy the game, and whatever they can get back out the ball game, we will take it. Once upon a time, I told them whatever opportunity that you have, you should have a chance to play in the NBA.”
Ron Harper on if he expected his sons to both play in the NBA:
“I’m not LeBron James I’m not going to tell my kids what they have do.”💀
The reaction from Ron Harper Jr. and Dylan Harper “Yooo”😂😱 https://t.co/3YGRCQnRRr pic.twitter.com/qyo0LDRdlp
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) February 14, 2026
The two sons couldn’t quite believe their father said that out loud. Dylan had his hands in his face, and you can’t blame him. Ron Sr. might have just been joking around, but it sure didn’t come across that way.
The elder Harper was, of course, referring to Bronny James following in LeBron’s footsteps by making it to the NBA. The Lakers had selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to pair father and son together.
LeBron had long stated that playing with Bronny was one of his goals, which might be why Ron Sr. made this comment. Does that mean he made his son choose this career path? That seems like a stretch.
Bronny has said it was his dream to get to the NBA. If this was something he never wanted to do, he could have easily quit after suffering a cardiac arrest in July 2023. Bronny pushed on, though, and is loving life in the NBA.
What is quite interesting about Ron Sr. making such a comment is that he has actually come to LeBron’s defense on this topic in the past. Back in January 2025, Stephen A. Smith had pleaded with LeBron to stop this Bronny experiment in the NBA after he had gotten torched by Tyrese Maxey in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Ron Sr. then took to X to tell the four-time MVP that he had done nothing wrong.
“LeBron James, all these dummies are mad at you for giving your kid a chance to chase his dreams I would do the same thing too!!!!! It’s ok to be a proud dad…..”
@KingJames all these dummies are mad at you for giving your kid a chance to chase his dreams I would do the same thing too!!!!! It’s ok to be a proud dad…..
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) January 30, 2025
This might lead one to believe that Ron Sr. was making a joke that didn’t quite land the way he’d have thought. It will be interesting to see if LeBron responds.
As for the Shooting Stars Challenge, Team Harper finished third after putting up a score of 18. Dylan had nine points, Ron Jr. had seven, and Ron Sr. had two.
Dylan and Ron Jr. had also played in the Rising Stars games on Friday. The former was on Team Melo and the latter on Team Austin. They faced off in Game 1, with Team Melo winning 40-34.
Dylan finished with four points, one rebound, and one steal in the contest. Ron Jr., meanwhile, had seven rebounds and two assists.
These two brothers have had very different NBA careers up to this point. The San Antonio Spurs had selected Dylan with the second pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, while Ron Jr. went undrafted in 2022. He signed a two-way deal with the Boston Celtics in October 2025 and has spent a chunk of this season with the Maine Celtics in the G League.
