LeBron James Knew Son Bronny Would Make The NBA Since He Was 5 Despite Wife Savannah’s Scepticism

Aakash Nair | 01/10/2024
LeBron James Knew Son Bronny Would Make The NBA Since He Was 5 Despite Wife Savannah's Scepticism

LeBron James is the first NBA athlete to play alongside his son. Though we’re yet to see the father-son duo play on the court, they recently shared their first media day together. During the same, LeBron shared an anecdote from 12 years ago, displaying his foresight about Bronny’s future.

This was back when the King was a Cleveland Cavalier for the first time, and his son was playing in a Little League game. “I think he’s like five or six years old, um, and he had did something, he had grabbed a rebound and like drove coast to coast through the lane, through a couple of the other kids. And like laid it up, and had a little trot back. And I looked over at his mom and I was like, ‘Oh, he is special.’”

Savannah chided her husband for saying that about a 5-year-old but LeBron James insisted that he saw his son’s NBA future in that moment. “Like, I know I’ve seen this before. All the way to the point where he gets drafted. And I brought that back to his mom and she was like, ‘I remember you said that, like, 12 years ago’,” LeBron shared.

Savannah James probably didn’t want her 5-year-old to hold such high expectations. But over a decade later, Bronny made that prophecy come true in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.

It’s clear how proud his parents are, as Savannah seems to have broken out her first copy of NBA 2K in order to play as her son. “She does not play video games,” explained LeBron James. “But she went in practice mode and played with her son,” the four-time NBA champion shared during media day.

While the mother of three is celebrating in her own way, her husband also admitted to experiencing a first during his pre-season practices with Bronny.

Playing with his son made James ‘lose focus’

The four-time NBA MVP was on the DraftKings podcast last week, being interviewed by former NFL lineman Mike Golic Sr. and his son, Mike Golic Jr. It was a special moment for James as he saw a parallel between the father-son hosts and his own family.

“This week we got back into the gym, and it was really the first time that me and Bronny, you know, was basically on the floor as professionals. Training, going against each other, preparing for the season. I had a couple moments where I kinda just, I lost focus,” James admitted.

The sight of his son preparing for the NBA season stopped James in his tracks, more than a few times. He’s done this 21 times before but never with his son alongside him on the court. There might be a few moments during the season too, where LeBron will stay on the sidelines and watch Bronny go to work.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
Bronny James LeBron James Savannah James

About the author

Aakash Nair

Aakash Nair

NBA journalist Aakash Nair has followed the game for nearly a decade. He believes that basketball today is just as alive during the off-season with podcasts, interviews, articles and YouTube videos constantly providing fans with new insights. Aakash closely follows the game of narratives, of who will have a breakout year and who might be on the slump. As a fan, he is interested in all the context and behind-the-scenes moves that go into making a championship contender. As a writer, he intends to bring that same context to the forefront.

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