The Lakers are gearing up to play the first-ever father-son duo in the NBA. General Manager Rob Pelinka recently revealed how Bronny and LeBron James have been competing in pre-season scrimmages and former NFL wide receiver Ochocinco is fanning flames with his banter.
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Shannon Sharpe and Ocho discussed the James family’s matchup during the recent episode of Nightcap. The Lakers’ GM revealed how LeBron scored on Bronny during a scrimmage before exchanging a few words with the teenager. Ochocinco and Sharpe quipped about the possible trash talk the King could have thrown at his heir.
“Listen, all is fair in love and war. Especially once you touch that court, all bets- you’re not my son,” Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson commented. The three-time First-Team All-Pro member added, “Bronny finna get that work every time. You know Bron don’t play but once you touch that hardwood, son or not, you finna get that bucket.”
According to Rob Pelinka, that’s exactly what pre-season scrimmages between the father-son duo have looked like. “Bronny got switched onto LeBron and he took him baseline and up and under off the glass. The words exchanged afterwards were probably more challenging than anything else,” the Lakers’ General Manager added.
This is exactly what fans expect from the Akron Hammer. Though LeBron has touched on the emotional moments of going through pre-season with his son, he also wanted clear boundaries between their personal and professional lives.
Bronny is not allowed to refer to LeBron as ‘Dad’ in the locker room
After securing the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, LeBron held a live version of ‘The Shop’ from a rooftop in Paris. It was then that the 20-time All-Star addressed how he wanted to keep things professional with his son.
“We already laid that down. Cannot call me ‘Dad’ in the workplace. Once we leave, out of the private facility, and the gates close, I could be ‘Dad’ again,” the four-time NBA champion explained. James also shared the possible nicknames Bronny could use to refer to his father instead. “No, he got to call me like ‘2-3’ or ‘Bron’. Or, you know, ‘GOAT’ if he want to. It’s up to him.”
This Saturday, on the 5th of October, the Lakers will be taking on the new-look Minnesota Timberwolves in their first preseason matchup when Bronny and LeBron James can share the NBA hardwood as the league’s first father-son duo. We’ll find out then what nickname the 19-year-old lands on for his four-time MVP father.
