Out of all the things Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has accomplished in the NBA, he continually cites playing alongside Bronny James as his greatest feat.
LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to share the floor together in league history and they’ve gotten more opportunities to do so in recent weeks after the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Bronny has stepped up off the bench to give the Lakers decent minutes and is in line to earn more once the playoffs begin this weekend.
While Bronny has a ways to go in his development, LeBron believes his son has earned his chance to prove himself in the postseason.
“It’s every moment we get an opportunity to play together. It’s something that I’ll never take for granted. I mean, listen, me being on the floor with him postseason, regular season, training camp, practices, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career above everything that I’ve accomplished,” LeBron said after Thursday’s practice.
“The fact that he’s put himself in position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable, pretty cool given the circumstances that he’s been through the last couple of years. He earned it, he deserves it and he’ll be ready.”
Bronny’s NBA career got off to a slow start as he worked his way back from suffering cardiac arrest the summer before his freshman year at USC. He spent most of his rookie year in the G League developing with the South Bay Lakers, showing flashes of what kind of NBA player he could be.
This year, Bronny has taken a clear step forward both physically and skills-wise, becoming more confident as an on-ball player. His main calling card right now is defense as he’s an agile perimeter defender who can disrupt passing lanes and get out in transition.
It remains to be seen how much Bronny will actually play in the first round against the Houston Rockets, but there’s a clear belief from LeBron and the rest of the locker room that he can step in if needed.
LeBron James says Bronny James belongs in NBA
The Lakers drew a lot of criticism for drafting Bronny with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as it was widely seen as a move to cater to LeBron. However, after seeing what Bronny has done in his second year LeBron emphasized that he thinks he belongs in the NBA.
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