Bronny James unbothered by father LeBron's departure, eager to be his own man with younger Lakers
The league leader joined a new franchise to pursue a title; his son remains with the team to focus on his own career
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Bronny James seems to realize that the wildest part of LeBron James' decision to change teams before his 24th NBA season is the fact he left his son behind to do it.
Bronny is still with the Los Angeles Lakers after his 41-year-old father's departure for the Philadelphia 76ers . The younger James enters his third NBA season this week still working to win a rotation role with the team that drafted him in 2024 in the family's adopted hometown.
Bronny and LeBron spent the past two seasons as the NBA's first father-son teammates , an achievement LeBron said was comparable to any of his championship rings. But the top scorer in league history decided his hunger for another title was greater than his desire to stay by Bronny's side.
In his first extensive public comments on this unusual situation Monday, Bronny confirmed he isn't the least bit angry or disappointed by his dad's departure.
He's already well aware that when your father is LeBron James, many things are bigger than you.
“Happy for him, and excited for where their season goes,” Bronny said. “I’m excited to see him on Christmas, excited to play against him on Christmas. It’s going to be good.”
The 76ers visit the Lakers on Dec. 25.
While LeBron’s enthusiasm for being an engaged father to his three children is well-documented, Bronny said he didn't have extensive discussions with his father about the move.
“We’re men of very little words when it comes to talking about business and what we’re going to do and how we feel about each other,” Bronny said with a smile. “It wasn’t really much, to be honest with you. He’s got his own path and I’ve got my own, so he knows that I want to make a name for myself and want to continue my career and keep growing as a player, and he knows I’ll want to focus on that, so he decided to (move).”
And while LeBron meets his new teammates and settles into Philadelphia this week, his son is getting back to work with the Lakers. LeBron won't be a constant presence in the locker room and on the road to dispense guidance and leadership to his son — and he won't be around for Bronny's 22nd birthday next week, either.
That's all fine for Bronny, who wasn't fazed while he went through his first Lakers media day without his father's massive presence and booming voice nearby.
“Feels like he’s not here,” Bronny said at the Lakers' training complex. “I don’t really have an opinion on that. That’s my dad. I’ve spent almost 22 years with him, so just another experience that I’m going to be a part of, and I’m excited how it’s going to feel during the season. So I’m looking forward to it.”
LeBron said this week that he left the Lakers to chase his fifth championship ring. The unspoken part of that declaration is James’ apparent belief he’s closer to a title in Philadelphia than in Los Angeles, where his Lakers won just one playoff round in the past three seasons.
But Bronny is optimistic about the Lakers' chances to build an exciting — and pointedly younger — core around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and prolific guard Austin Reaves. New center Walker Kessler should be a sharp upgrade under the opponents' basket and on lob finishes, and he's just one of nine new players hoping to win roles with Los Angeles.
“Everyone is young, so there’s a lot of energy flowing around, and I think we feed off each other,” Bronny said. “I don’t know yet, because we haven’t played a game, but because we’re young and we’re finding a way to get close to each other, I think we can feed off each other’s energy. There’s going to be a lot of guys that can go out and give full effort, turn up the game, and we can probably play fast because of how young we are. … We have a good chance of making it far.”
LeBron ended this family partnership right when Bronny appeared to be on the verge of breaking through to a regular role. Bronny played regularly down the stretch last season and into the playoffs while Doncic and Reaves were sidelined by injury, teaming up with his father for significant minutes in the Lakers' first-round upset of the Houston Rockets.
Bronny wants to continue his growth as a secondary ballhandler and a point-of-attack defender, two roles in which he excelled for long stretches last spring. His father won't be around for tips and critiques, but Bronny is ready to figure out some things on his own — and with ample help from his teammates and coaches, of course.
“I think I did play my role pretty well in the Houston series, and that’s something I can grow off of,” Bronny said. “Showing up every day and playing my game and being relentless both sides of the floor and making sure I’m getting my teammates involved and disrupting on the defensive end of the floor.”
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