LeBron James Praises Bronny’s Resilience and Focus Amid Criticism; Talks Lakers Free Agency & Future
In a candid interview with ESPN, NBA legend LeBron James shared insights into his eldest son, Bronny James, and how he handles the intense scrutiny that accompanies being part of the James legacy. LeBron, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers last month with the No. 55 pick, expressed his admiration for Bronny’s unique approach to criticism and public attention.
Bronny’s Cool Composure
During a USA Basketball practice in preparation for the Paris Olympics, LeBron shed light on Bronny’s remarkable ability to remain unfazed by public opinion. “I don’t know if people really understand Bronny,” LeBron said. “He doesn’t care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me, and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career. … He doesn’t give a f—. He does not care about nobody. He doesn’t even listen to that stuff. He’s like the coolest. He’s like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care. … Everything that’s being said about him, he really does not care.”
The James Legacy: Different Paths
LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, emphasized the stark differences between his journey and Bronny’s. Despite LeBron’s immense success and wealth, Bronny has managed to stay grounded and driven. “Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy, and you still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself,” LeBron explained. “I personally don’t know if I would’ve been able to do that if the roles were reversed. When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice. … 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. … People don’t understand how hard that is and the commitment for him to be coming out of heart surgery less than a year ago, for him to be able to be in the NBA, the kid, he’s special.”
Addressing Criticism and the Lakers’ Decisions
LeBron also spoke about recent criticisms regarding his influence on the Lakers’ decisions, including drafting Bronny and hiring his former podcast co-host, JJ Redick, as head coach. “I’m not involved in the coaching hiring, but I’m excited about JJ,” he said. “I’m excited about working with coach [Nate] McMillan. I haven’t worked with him since the Olympic run [in 2008]. First time working with coach [Scott] Brooks, looking forward to that. So, I’m excited about that. That’s been the extent of it all this summer as far as the Lakers.”
LeBron recently signed a two-year extension with the Lakers, opting for less than the maximum salary to help the team avoid salary cap restrictions and pursue other impact players. “Because we are in a relationship, and anybody knows relationships, [knows that] it’s all about committing,” he told ESPN. “It’s also about doing things to help both sides. So, we’ve been in a working relationship going on seven years … so that’s what it’s about.”
Optimism for the Upcoming Season
Despite the Lakers’ failure to land key free agents, LeBron remains optimistic about the upcoming season. “It takes two to tango,” he said regarding the Lakers’ attempts to sign players like Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan. “I think our front office, our coaching staff, they tried to do the job that they wanted to do or tried to get guys to come, and it didn’t happen. And that’s OK. That’s part of the business. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. So, we don’t sit here and lie about or cry about it. We move on.”
LeBron also expressed confidence in the Lakers’ potential to contend for another title. “Of course,” he said. “Because we’ve done it before. We’ve done it before, and we still have two guys who commit every single day with myself and AD [Anthony Davis]. We commit to excellence and commit to win. And we feel like any situation, any given year, we can put ourselves in a position to be able to succeed. And we’re not that far off. We were one year removed from the Western Conference finals. Obviously, this year it didn’t go as well this past year. Didn’t go as well as we would like, but we’re not that far off.”
Future in the NBA
As for his future in the NBA, LeBron hinted that his recently signed contract could be his last. “I mean, it could be [the last contract I will ever sign],” he said. “I’d never sit up here and say, ‘Oh, maybe not.’ Yeah, it could be. Easily. But we’ll see what happens.”
LeBron’s reflections on Bronny, his career, and the Lakers offer a glimpse into the personal and professional life of one of basketball’s greatest players. For the full interview with LeBron James, stay tuned to ESPN or click here.