Lakers star LeBron James, right, said his son and teammate, rookie Bronny James, isn’t allowed to call him “Dad” at work. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
Bronny James has many options when it comes to addressing his father and new Lakers teammate, LeBron James.
He can use a shortened version of their shared first name.
Or, if the Lakers rookie prefers, he could refer to his old man by his jersey number.
Another possible choice is a term reserved for the best of the best in any given sport.
There seems to be only one thing Bronny James isn’t allowed to call his father while they’re at work:
During a recent taping of his talk show “The Shop” in Paris, LeBron James was asked if his kid would be allowed to address him as such in a locker room, practice facility or arena. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer quickly shut down that notion.
“No he can’t. We already laid that down,” James said. “Cannot call me ‘Dad’ in the workplace, all right? Once we leave out of the practice facility and the gates close, I can be ‘Dad’ again. In the car we ride together, at home, I can be ‘Dad.’ No, [at work] he got to call me, like, ‘2-3’ or ‘Bron.’”
“Or, you know, ‘GOAT’ if he want to,” James added, much to the amusement of the crowd in attendance. “That’s up to him.”
Bronny James played for one season at USC and was selected by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the NBA draft in June. He signed a guaranteed contract on July 3, agreeing to a four-year deal that could be worth nearly $8 million. The same day, LeBron James re-signed with the Lakers on a two-year deal that included a no-trade clause and a player option for the second season.
Over the years, James had publicly mentioned the possibility of playing in the NBA with his oldest son. Now that the two of them are set to become the league’s first father-son duo to appear on the same roster, James acknowledges at least one aspect of the situation might seem a little strange to LeBron Jr.
“It’s easy for me ’cause I’ve been calling him Bronny for so long,” James said. “It’s not like I’ve been calling, ‘Hey, son! Hey, son!’ So it’s easy for me. It’s gonna be an adjustment for him.
“But,” James added emphatically, “we cannot be running down the court, and he be like ‘Dad, push the ball up!’ Dad, I’m open! Dad, come on!’ No, you cannot do that.”
Chuck Schilken is a sports reporter on the Fast Break team. He spent more than 18 years with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports Department in a variety of roles. Before joining The Times, he worked for more than a decade as a sports reporter and editor at newspapers in Virginia and Maryland.
