Being the son of an NBA legend like LeBron James is no small feat, especially when you’re trying to make your own mark in the same sport and on the same team. At 39, LeBron is still a pivotal figure in the NBA and is set to captain Team USA in the upcoming Paris Olympics. Bronny James, at just 19, faces the immense challenge of stepping out of his father’s shadow as he embarks on his own journey in the highly competitive world of professional basketball.
Bronny’s got talent, no doubt about it. He’s stepping into an arena where thousands are ready to take his place if he doesn’t measure up. But having LeBron as a dad certainly gives him a leg up in understanding the league. In a recent ESPN social media interview, Bronny was asked to rank his favorite players, not necessarily the best ones, but his personal favorites.
No surprises here, LeBron topped the list. Next up was Steph Curry, who apparently left Bronny starstruck when they first met. Following Curry, Bronny listed Kyrie Irving, a former teammate of his dads from their Cleveland days. Kevin Durant took the fourth spot, and Bronny rounded out his top five with a tie between young stars Anthony Edwards (22) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26). These last two are likely his real inspirations-players he could realistically aim to match in the near future because of their age.
Interestingly, most of Bronny’s picks are set to represent the U.S. in the Olympics, except for Shai, who’s playing for Canada, and Kyrie, whose absence is a bit of a head-scratcher given his positive track record with the US national team, nevertheless they’re not gonna miss him. Another surprising tidbit from the interview was Bronny’s answer to “which athlete he’d most like to team up with outside of his dad?”: “Neymar. That’s one you wouldn’t have guessed.
When asked whether he’d prefer to hit a game-winning shot or make a game-saving block, Bronny opted for the block. No surprise there, considering his dad’s legendary block in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He ended by saying that he has more than a thousand unread messages in his cell phone, surely from sponsors, friends, acquaintances and anyone who has his number is looking to contact him now that he is entering the NBA.
Bronny knows he’s under more scrutiny than anyone else, but his focus, poise, and the lessons from LeBron, who has always been a model athlete off the court, will be his greatest allies as he starts his NBA career.
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