With LeBron gone, Bronny James out to make a name for himself

Bronny James is looking forward to playing against his dad, LeBron James, on Christmas Day, but until then, he will focus on improving his game and emerging from his legendary father’s shadow.

On Oct 22, 2024, the pair became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game. In July, after two seasons together, LeBron left Los Angeles to sign a two-year, US$8 million (S$10.23 million) contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“He’s got his own path, and I got my own,” Bronny James said on Sept 28 at the Lakers’ media day.

“He knows that I want to make a name for myself, and I want to continue my career and keep growing as a player. And he knows that I want to focus on that. So, he decided to do that.

“You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron. I’ve been doing this for however long. It’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron.”

The elder James did consult his family before deciding to move from the West Coast to the East Coast, but apparently it was not a lengthy, in-depth discussion.

“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,” said Bronny, who turns 22 on Oct 6.

“So, it wasn’t really much (discussion), to be honest with you.”

With a US$2.3 million guaranteed contract this season, Bronny said his focus this summer was on his role as a backup to Lakers star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

As for the rest of the Lakers, who have nine new players, their focus is on the present and forming a cohesive unit with all the new faces.

“It was kind of sad (that he left); playing with LeBron was amazing,” Doncic said ahead of the Lakers’ first season without LeBron since 2017-18.

“There’s a lot of things I learnt from him, and we all know who LeBron James is. We spent time together, and it was amazing.” REUTERS