Imagine being a professional athlete playing in the NBA and calling your teammate ‘Dad’ to get his attention on the court. Well, what internet trolls had already predicted was touched upon in an episode of The Shop. LeBron James was asked if his son, Bronny, could call him dad while on the court. And his response has this NBA analyst jumping to some wild conclusions.
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Ben Maller just took to FoxSports Radio, talking about why James refuses his son to call him dad and insists on calling him by some other name.
“LeBron was chuckling but could it be that LeBron feels some shame that he realizes his kid has no business being in the NBA and that this is embarrassing? So, don’t call me dad even though the only reason the kid’s in the NBA is because of the dad making it happen.”
"Could it be that LeBron feels some shame and realizes his kid has no business actually being in the NBA and that this is embarrassing?"
🎙️@benmaller on LeBron saying Bronny can't call him "Dad" while at work with the Lakers pic.twitter.com/edDNwHHnwW
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) August 28, 2024
Now, there hasn’t been any report or any concrete proof, but many, including Maller himself, felt Bron was the reason why the Lakers drafted him. With his contract coming to an end, James twisted the Lakers front office’s arm into drafting his son.
But since that has been the consensus so far, Maller pointed out how this father-son getting to play together wasn’t something that happened organically. So, since this was all planned, Maller felt that is the reason why LBJ didn’t want Bronny to call him dad, probably to suppress that narrative.
However, as badly as Maller or anyone would want that to be true, that certainly isn’t the reason behind James’ reasoning of not letting his son call dad on the court. And while The King didn’t specify why, at least one can be sure that Maller’s reasoning was far from the truth.
Whether Maller’s comments about Bronny not being ready for the NBA ring true or not, what’s important is what the team and coaches think. The Lakers seem content with giving time to the youngster to develop, and that’s exactly what Jeanie Buss, the owner, has said.
Bronny finds support from the Lakers
Despite all the hate and uncertainty surrounding the son of the four-time NBA champion, Lakers president Buss wants to give him some time to flourish.
“We have to let the kid have an opportunity to play and prove that he should be in a Laker uniform. And everything that we’ve seen from him and about him and his work ethic, just some of the things he’s had to overcome being the son of a big star. He works hard, he’s dedicated. He really wants to do this. And if we can have a roster of players with that same mentality, then I think the sky is the limit.”
It is only right to give the young 18-year-old a chance to prove his mettle before the team decides to write him off or waive him. But could this decision have been influenced by The King?
We may never know. But at least we’ll get to see the father and son share a few moments on the court soon.
