“I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad,” the 19-year-old said in a news conference on Tuesday, July 2
LeBron and Bronny James are set to make history as the first father-son duo to actively play in the NBA together on the same team
“I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it,” Bronny said of the pressure while speaking in a news conference on Tuesday, July 2
“I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad… it wasn’t a main focus of mine,” the 19-year-old insisted of playing alongside his famous father
Bronny James is ready for the pressure of playing alongside his famous dad at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaking during a news conference on Tuesday, July 2, Bronny, 19, insisted he didn’t enter into the NBA draft just so that he could play alongside his dad LeBron, 39, who signed with the Lakers in 2018.
“I’m … trying to get my name out for myself,” Bronny told reporters after he was selected by the team during the second round of the draft on June 27, per the Associated Press.
“I just want to come in and get my work in and get better every day. I never really had a thought of me going to play with my dad,” he added per AP. “That’s always there to take part of, but it wasn’t a main focus of mine.”
When they step onto the court together, Bronny and LeBron will make history by becoming the first father-son duo to actively play together on the same NBA team. The pressure of creating history doesn’t seem to phase the teenager, however.
“It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure,” he said at the conference. “I’ve already seen it in (social) media and on the internet and stuff talking about (how) I might not deserve an opportunity.”
“But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it,” Bronny insisted.
He added that he’s ready to play for such a huge team because of “stuff that (LeBron) has been telling me my whole life. Just having that work ethic, and coming in and getting your work in, and listening to your coaches and being coachable, stuff like that he’s driven into my head my whole life.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bronny mentioned the time off he took last year after suffering from cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California in July 2023, as previously reported by PEOPLE.
In May, it was revealed that Bronny, who was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, was cleared by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel just in time for the NBA draft combine.
“The time that I had off, I feel like I could have been perfecting my game more,” he said during the conference. “I just feel like I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase what I can really do, because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at SC. So I’m excited for what it’s going to be.”
