“Will LeBron James Treat Bronny Like His Teammate or His Son?”: Sauce Gardner Ponders About Dynamic Within the Lakers

LeBron James and his son Bronny sharing the court as teammates is one of the highly-anticipated moments of the upcoming NBA season. Fans, analysts, and athletes, including Kevin Durant and Sauce Gardner, are eager to see the duo play together for the Lakers. While the excitement is palpable, there’s also a burning curiosity about what their relationship would be like.

On the latest episode of Boardroom Talks, Durant and Gardner shared their thoughts about what James and Bronny’s dynamic should be once they commence their lives as co-workers. The New York Jets cornerback claimed he’s yearning to see how the veteran forward deals with his son’s mistakes on the court. He said,

“I wonder how it’s gonna be like [with] LeBron and Bronny if Bronny mess up. Like, is he treating him like his teammate or he treating him like his son?”

The Suns superstar responded that they have no choice but to separate their personal and professional lives. However, he admitted that it’d be a challenging transition for the father-son duo. Durant said,

“I think they going to both separate the two. It’s going to for sure be weird at first and then just get used to it.”

James has already made it clear that he expects Bronny to see him as his teammate and not his father. During a special episode of The Shop filmed in Paris during the Olympics, he was asked if he had a discussion with his son about what he would call him on the court. The four-time NBA champion did not specify whether they had the conversation but shared some suggestions, saying,

“He cannot call me dad in the workplace. Once we leave out of the private facility and the gates close, I can be dad again in the car if we ride together. At home, I can be dad. He got to call me like 23 or Bron. Or, you know, G.O.A.T. if he wants to… It’s going to be the adjustment for him. But he cannot, we cannot be running down the court and he’ll be like, dad. No, you cannot do that.” 

“Dad get yo ass back on defense” ‍♂️ https://t.co/LPGyN3NaUf

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 27, 2024

James‘ teammates over the years have always been in the fans and media’s crosshairs. Bronny would likely be judged even more harshly. However, the rookie isn’t deterred and is ready to face the challenge head-on. In an interview during the Summer League, he said,

“It’s a big step for both of us. I feel like playing together, going to work together every day is just gonna build the relationship on we already have, build that connection even stronger. I’m excited to get to work with my dad.”

With only a few weeks left until training camp commences, fans can expect clips of the two working out together. Perhaps they’ll also learn what Bronny intends to address his father as.