Following his 2025-26 NBA season debut on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James talked about the growth he has seen in his son, Bronny James, as a player during his second NBA campaign.
When asked by reporters what it has been like to see Bronny develop this season, LeBron responded by saying, “It’s been great to see, to watch. And he’s still young, obviously just turned 21 not too long ago. He’s still learning and still getting better with each and every rep.”
LeBron went on to joke that despite being teammates, doesn’t talk with his son as much anymore since they no longer live together, saying, “I think he’s enjoying the process, I think you can obviously ask him more than me. He’s not a resident anymore, so we don’t talk as much, he has his own place.”
The Lakers selected Bronny 55th overall in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft, forming the first father-son duo of players in NBA history.
Since Bronny had only one shaky collegiate season at USC under his belt, accusations of nepotism were thrown around liberally within the sports media space.
Bronny played only sparingly for the Lakers as a rookie, averaging 2.3 points in 6.7 minutes per game over 27 appearances.
However, Bronny spent some time in the G League is well, which is where he often showcased his immense potential, averaging 21.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.2 three-pointers made and 1.9 steals in 11 regular-season games.
Bronny’s role with the Lakers hasn’t expanded much so far this season, but he has spent the entire year with the big club thus far rather than shuttling between the NBA and G League.
He has also seen in his playing time over 10 appearances expand to 11.1 minutes per contest, while averaging 2.1 points and 1.8 assists.
LeBron has had a front-row seat to watch Bronny for most of the season since he missed L.A.’s first 14 games due to sciatica.
The 40-year-old veteran returned to action on Tuesday, though, helping the Lakers earn a 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz to improve to 11-4 on the season.
James finished with only 11 points in a shade under 30 minutes of action, but he dished out 12 assists, often putting teammates Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves in ideal positions to score.
Bronny also saw some action and contributed to a winning cause, knocking down only his third three-pointer of the season, while also recording two assists.
While Bronny undoubtedly still has a long way to go when it comes to establishing himself as a consistent rotational piece at the NBA level, the growth does seem to be happening, as LeBron discussed.
