On August 15, 2022, two years before winning Olympic gold in Bercy, LeBron James was glued to his TV, channel ESPN 2, for a match played on the other side of the capital, in Nanterre. An exhibition between French hopefuls and the California Basket Club, a selection of American high school students in which his two sons appeared. Seeing the elder cross the entire court with his left hand to slam a nasty dunk with his right hand, the King did like the whole room: he exclaimed « oh my goodness, Bronny !!! ». With lots of stunned emojis – it was on X (ex-Twitter). If he sometimes suffered against Bilal Coulibaly, future Blue and NBA player, Bronny James delivered 25 points that evening and a glimpse of his potential. From now on, it is in the big world that he is supposed to express it. And the remarks of the patriarch, 39 years old, will be directly heard there.
At the end of June, the Los Angeles Lakers stamped family reunification during the draft. Thus responding to a deep-rooted wish, a final quest for the man with four championship rings and soon 22 NBA seasons (kick-off in nine days). Ahead of the ceremony, the James’ agent, the influential Rich Paul, was responsible for setting the guidelines by dissuading the franchises from selecting the heir, under penalty of seeing him go into exile in Australia. It was LA, with his 55th pick, and nothing else. This is how, for the first time, a father and his son wore the same tunic during an NBA match, Sunday against Phoenix. A preseason sequence certainly, but a symbol that stirred James Sr: “Coming out of a timeout, we found ourselves next to each other. I looked at him. It was like in Matrixit seemed unreal. »
In his position as a full-back, the much-scrutinized rookie remained silent in attack. Same story Thursday against Milwaukee, for the second joint game. The fact remains that these settings seemed forbidden to him, just over a year ago, after a cardiac arrest that occurred during training with his university in Southern California. The months that followed, those of a single season in the NCAA (4.8 points on 36.6% shooting), did not put away the doubts. Nor removed the “son of” label, which owes its NBA seat to something other than its merit. Inducted onto the Lakers bench, JJ Redick suggests that LeBron Raymone James Jr will make a name through defense. Difficult for this neophyte coach to escape from a positive attitude especially since he is a friend of his father, with whom he shared a podcast last season.
This season, however, many see the son switching to the development league (G League). But would he learn the trade better in this crucible of individualism rather than with the four-time MVP? Not sure. “If the Lakers want to develop him, they better keep him on the team and use the father’s experience, issues Philippe Sudre, expert in international prospects and former head of training at Monaco and the Mets 92. It’s a slasher [joueur dont le style est basé sur l’attaque du panier]with the speed and athleticism required for the NBA. He handles the ball very well and knows how to be aggressive with it. The only limiting factor is its size. [1,88 mètre]which prevents him from defending in several positions. » Far from the morphotype of the dad, 2.06 meters of chiseled concrete.
By the way, there will be no « dad” that holds. Not at work in any case, instructions firmly stated, even if LeBron James commented on it with a smile: “Once we leave training, in the car, he can call me dad again. Otherwise, it will be more like “2-3” [référence à son numéro de maillot] or “Bron.” It’s up to him. » Above all, it’s up to him.
A rarity in professional sport
A father and his offspring in the same jersey, something new in basketball but not in other sports. In rugby, Andy Farrell shared his last season at Saracens (2008-2009) with Owen, 17 years old at the time. Football brought together Rivaldo, 1999 Golden Ball, and Rivaldinho in Brazilian D2 (2013-2015). And in 1996, Icelandic Eidur Gudjohnsen celebrated his first selection by replacing Arnor. Across the Atlantic, baseball brought together the Griffey (1990) and Raines (2001) families. Even stronger, Gordie Howe, one of the greatest hockey players in history, started an NHL game on the same offensive line as his two sons. It was 1980 with Hartford, at almost 52 years old.
