Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James garners inspiration from his children. Prior to the start of the NBA season, James opened up about his oldest son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr.
“Obviously, I’m gonna dedicate this season to Bronny,” James said. “Understanding that puts everything in perspective.”
In July, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout at USC. Since then, the Sierra Canyon alum has been rehabbing to possibly play during the 2023-2024 season.
“It’s definitely a whirlwind of a lot of emotions for our family this summer,” James said. “But the best thing we have is each other, we stuck behind each other and gave Bronny strength throughout the whole process.”
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As of October 20, Bronny has not practiced with the team since the incident. However, he did celebrate with his teammates at “Trojan HoopLA,” a celebration event to kick-off the men’s and women’s basketball season.
“It’s been a lot. I can only imagine how it’s been for him,” James said. “It’s been a lot for me, it’s been a lot for my family but the man above has definitely given us a lot of strength.”
James also has drawn inspiration from his second-born son, Bryce. During the offseason, James coached Bryce during the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in Augusta, South Carolina. His former teammate Rajon Rondo was a member of his coaching staff. He enjoyed seeing the young athletes “play for the love of the game.”
“Being around all those kids in our AAU program, they were just out there just competing and wanting to win,” James said. “They was putting everything on the line, it had nothing to do about social media clicks or money or fame or none of that stuff. They were just playing to be able to put themselves in a position to actually win Peach Jam.”
As of Tuesday, James has been averaging 22.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He has scored in the double digits in the first four games of the season.
“My hat’s off to him, he never ceases to amaze us,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after their 100-95 win against the Phoenix Suns. “He cares, that’s why you see that type of stat line. He’s laying it all out for his team.”
