As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for a unique season with both LeBron James and his son Bronny on the roster, there are still many questions about how the dynamic will play out. However, LeBron has made one thing crystal clear: there will be no calling him “Dad” on the job, according to the Fox News.
“We already laid that down. He cannot call me ‘Dad’ in the workplace,” LeBron stated in an upcoming episode of ‘The Shop,’ which he filmed in Paris during the Olympics earlier this month. “Once we leave out of the practice facility and the gates close, I can be ‘Dad’ again.”
The Lakers drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in the NBA Draft earlier this summer, following his freshman season at USC. Despite being a second-round pick, Bronny secured a rare four-year, $7.9 million guaranteed contract with the team. During his time with the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, he showed promise by scoring in double figures in multiple games, despite a rough start where he missed his first 15 three-point attempts.
LeBron has long expressed his desire to play alongside his son in the NBA before retiring. When they eventually take the court together, they will make history as the first father-son duo to play as teammates in the NBA. This milestone will also mark just the fourth father-son pairing to do so in major American professional sports.
The upcoming season will bring many challenges for Bronny, not only as he adjusts to playing under first-year head coach JJ Redick but also as he navigates being a teammate to his father, who is entering his 22nd season in the league. The dynamic between the two will be closely watched, but LeBron has already laid down the law regarding their interactions on the court.
“It’s easy for me. It’s going to be an adjustment for him,” LeBron said. “But we cannot be running down the court and he be like, ‘Dad, push the ball up. Dad, I’m open! Dad!’ No, he cannot do that.”
As the season approaches, the Lakers and fans alike are eager to see how this unprecedented father-son partnership will unfold, both on and off the court.