LEBRON JAMES ALWAYS IS A FATHER OF THE YEAR, MAKING HISTORY WITH BRONNY
His son will play mostly with the South Bay Lakers, not in downtown Los Angeles, and even if Bronny might be a Nepo kid, the preseason moment was precious as James reminds us of his scandal-free life
He was 19, confirmed as an NBA Rookie of the Year, when his son Bronny was born. Since that day in a whirling, agitating, social-media-bogged domain, LeBron James has avoided every smidgen of headline-snarled trouble. And I mean, scandals. And I mean, sleazy and inexcusable behavior. And I mean, Tiger Woods’ bimbo transgressions and Michael Jordan’s gambling junk and Kobe Bryant’s rape charge, not to mention Tom Brady’s Deflategate and Charles Barkley’s jail time.
Nothing, in two decades.
His father was a convicted criminal and forced him to mind his ways. Even now, as Diddy Combs is indicted, James quickly unfollowed him online despite his presence at the rapper’s disreputable parties involving sex trafficking and racketeering. The view I saw was LeBron in a nice jacket with a bow tie, as Combs was ripe for scrutiny. He has been to many parties. He has been high on drugs, as we saw in a video. He loves his red wine, occasionally on his own team’s bench. He raised a hand to photographers who caught him at a game when Jeanie Buss, his boss, rested her head on his shoulder.
Why did he touch Rihanna on the hip at a Louis Vuitton show? She was pregnant.
So isn’t it time to recognize James, who isn’t quite Jordan as an all-time basketball legend, as a father whose kids are beyond proud of him? Maybe Bronny can’t make a shot and shouldn’t be in training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers, belonging instead as a sophomore in a collegiate program. But their story works anyway. Sunday night in Palm Desert, weeks from the regular season, they became the first father-son tandem to play together in NBA history.
It doesn’t matter that Bronny, whose 20th birthday was celebrated at a party with cake and cupcakes, didn’t score in about four minutes with LeBron. Or that he failed to score in 13 1/2 minutes and that he’ll play most of the season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers. Or that he could assist the big club only as a defensive presence, which won’t help as LeBron tries one last time to reach the playoffs in a Western Conference loaded with better teams. The rookie to watch is Dalton Knecht, who is prepared for featured moments. But later this month, the Jameses will be teammates in an actual game, at least once. Consider this a warmup for reality.
As Bronny wore No. 9 with growing hair — Juice WRLD was known as 999 when he was alive — he wiped his hands on his jersey. LeBron walked behind him in the second quarter. He is not allowed to call him “Dad” around the team. “I’m prepping for the game like it's regular game,” LeBron said. “But the moment when we came out of the timeout and he was picking up full court and I went up — because my guy was taking the ball out. We stood next to each other and I kind of looked at him.”
What came to mind?
“It was just like, is this “The Matrix” or something? It just didn’t feel real,” he said.
Life hit him hard in the California desert. “For a father, it means everything,” LeBron said. “For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence on your son. Be able to have moments with your son. And ultimately, to be able to work with your son. I think that’s one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for. It’s definitely a moment that I’ll never forget. Still trying to get used to it, but it’s pretty cool for both of us and for our family.”
The father would have been overjoyed if his son made a three-pointer. He set him up with a dribble handoff. The shot missed. “I’m always thinking about, ‘That’s my dad,’ because that’s literally my dad,” Bronny said. “So I just go out there and, when I’m playing, he’s just my teammate. That’s all I’m thinking at that point.”
They will have more chances. JJ Redick grew close to LeBron as his podcast partner. Should he be coaching the Lakers? At this point, he is soothing the master by involving Bronny in games, practices and operations. The other night, while Bronny was scoring two points on 1-for-6 shooting, Redick raved about his chasedown block — like LeBron. Throughout training camp, we can find multiple young players who miss most shots and make a block or two. Bronny is in the news anyway, as LeBron wants it more than a year after his son suffered cardiac arrest at USC. He is a father first. Never mind some of us who wonder if better rookies receive the same treatment, including a four-year contract worth $8 million.
“Surreal. I’m very honored that I get to be part of history,” Redick said. “It’s cool as a basketball fan. I think it speaks to LeBron’s longevity, but also his competitive stamina that he’s able to still be doing this in Year 22. It speaks to the work that Bronny has put in to get to this point, and really just the fatherly care, and certainly the motherly care from Savannah as well. Bronny, he’s such a great kid and a pleasure to be around.”
When it’s time to gel again, as a Nepo parent and son, the Lakers will announce the news. Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka take care of LeBron, first, and then worry about the playoffs. The other day, James shot down an ESPN report that he came to town “because of how they handled the final seasons of Kobe Bryant’s career.” He responded by writing: “I came to the Lakers cause I wanted to help Jeanie win championships, bring that Spark back to the Lakers and see my family blossom in SoCal. Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated? Mama always said, ‘Stay out of grown folks business.’ ’’
He still craves a championship, No. 5. It won’t happen. Playing with Bronny fits well as his 40th birthday nears.
“For him, it's obviously an adjustment," LeBron said. “When he went to high school from middle school, from high school to USC and now to the pros, it's an adjustment to make. I think the more and more time he's out on the floor with pros — the speed, the cadence, you get better and better the more time you put on the floor. And you've got to think that he lost pretty much a third of last season because of the (heart) condition. But he's gotten better and better everyday. He continues to put the work in. And it's up to us as the veterans to try to help him and help Dalton and the young guys.
“I just told him, ‘Keep getting better.’ He’s young. He wants to continue to improve, and that’s what’s most important. Every time you get a moment out there, just continue to make winning plays. Continue to learn from his mistakes. Learn from the good things. And, I think, if he continues to do that, he’ll keep getting better and better as every moment goes on and on.”
The process of improvement won’t happen until he hits a jumpshot. He can’t make an NBA roster merely as a 6-2 defender, even if his father is LeBron Raymone James Sr. If this is the legend’s final wish, we’ll remember it as a preseason remembrance. Soon enough, as Bronny heads to South Bay, you know what’s coming at Crypto.com Arena.
Stay healthy, Anthony Davis. Coach like a savant, JJ. Make the shot, Austin Reaves. Perform as you did in Miami, Gabe Vincent. Find Knecht, everyone.
And win, dammit.
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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.