Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had a dream of playing with his son Bronny in the NBA, and that was achieved in 2024 when he was drafted in the second round.
With that though came a lot of criticism and LeBron notably got into a back-and-forth with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith about it last year. Despite Bronny dealing with a serious heart issue and only playing limited minutes in his lone season at USC, many people didn’t feel he deserved to be drafted and LeBron just used his power to get him to the Lakers.
To his credit, Bronny hasn’t paid attention to the outside noise and has just been focused on improving his game. He has played limited minutes with the Lakers this season but is clearly much better than he was during his rookie season.
Still though, the jokes are going to fly and that was the case during All-Star Weekend. Former Lakers guard Ron Harper participated in the Shooting Stars event with his two sons, both of which are currently in the NBA.
When asked about his sons playing in the league just like he did, Harper used it as an opportunity to make fun of LeBron:
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
He later clarified on social media that he was just joking around after getting some backlash:
It was a joke relax folks
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) February 15, 2026
Harper making that joke was a bit strange as he previous was a supporter of both LeBron and Bronny:
@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
While it’s good to see Harper clarify that he didn’t mean any harm, his comments were still uncalled for, especially during All-Star Weekend which is supposed to be a celebration of the league and its biggest stars.
James was named an All-Star for the 22nd time, extending his own record as he continues to play at an extremely high level at the age of 41.
Nikola Jokic shares praise for LeBron James
It wasn’t all hate for LeBron James during All-Star Saturday as Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic shared some high praise for what he is doing at his age.
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