Mark Medina
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James couldn’t help but smile about Bronny James.
The 41-year-old James has remained proud of his son’s success both as his Lakers’ teammate and in the G League. He also remained proud of his own dominance.
Nearly 12 years before LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son duo in NBA history to record an assist together, Bronny revealed they played one-on-one against each other only for his pops to break the backboard.
“I had a hoop in our drive way and I drove around him and dunked it,” LeBron said following the Lakers’ 120-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. “I didn’t mean to shatter the glass, but I yeah I shattered it.”
Was LeBron trying to tell Bronny who’s boss?
“He made a couple of shots. But that’s like Miami ‘Bron,'” LeBron said. “That’s like ‘Invincible ‘Bron.’ It’s not like he was about to win.”
While standing by his locker, LeBron then asked Bronny if he remembered correctly that he didn’t replace the broken basket. Bronny affirmed that LeBron’s memory remains strong.
“I didn’t buy another one,” LeBron said. “That was it.”
That moment didn’t exactly inhibit Bronny from still playing basketball. He starred in high school (Sierra Canyon) and in college (one year at USC) before the Lakers selected him with their No. 55 pick. In his second NBA season, Bronny has become both a valued rotation player on the Lakers and a key player on their G League team. On Saturday, Bronny led the South Bay Lakers to a 140-132 win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. On that same day, James saw his other son (Bryce) be on a team that advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2001 (University of Arizona). Bryce has redshirted his freshman season, but LeBron and his wife, Savannah, watched both games at the same time.
“We’re a winning family. That’s all we’ve ever done,” James said. “It doesn’t even mean in sports and in life. We’re a winning family. All of this other [stuff] is extra credit. We’re super appreciative of it.”
With jumping from high school to the NBA in 2003, James never had the experience Bryce might have with winning an NCAA championship.
“I’m happy for him. But I definitely made the right decision,” LeBron said, smiling. “I cut nets through three state championships. That was enough for me. I’m good.”
