LeBron James' Son Bronny James Joining Him on L.A. Lakers in NBA
Originally appeared on E! Online
LeBron James will be seeing a familiar face on the basketball court.
After all, his son Bronny James—who he shares with wife Savannah James—became his Los Angeles Lakers teammate on June 27. Bronny, 19, was selected during the second round of the NBA draft, after the team chose University of Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, 23, as its first round pick.
In joining the team, Bronny and LeBron, 39, became the first father-and-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time, according to the league.
"Family business," the Lakers captioned a photo of LeBron and Bronny, with the teen adding on his Instagram Story, "Beyond blessed."
LeBron also couldn't help but to celebrate his son's milestone, sharing a Nike ad featuring a throwback photo of young Bronny playing basketball.
"Pressure was never the question," the advert read, "when passion has always been the answer."
Bronny's induction into the NBA comes nearly a year after his hospitalization for cardiac arrest. In July 2023, he experienced a medical emergency during basketball practice at the University of Southern California, leading him to be transported to the ICU.
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He was released from the hospital later that month, with him returning to the basketball court in December for his USC debut. At the time, LeBron—who also shares kids Bryce James, 17, and Zhuri James, 9, with Savannah—cheered him on from the sidelines.
"I just want to say I'm thankful for everything," Bronny said during the post-game conference, giving shoutouts to "my parents and siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life."
He added, "I just want to give appreciation to everyone who has helped me through this."
But LeBron and Bronny aren't the only ones keeping sports in the family business. Keep reading for more athletes and their sporty kids.
LeBron James and Bronny James
Bronny James (born LeBron James Jr. on born Oct. 6, 2004) played high school basketball for Chatsworth Sierra Canyon in the San Fernando Valley before graduating to the university of Southern California.
While the NBA schedule has often kept LeBron from being able to attend a full slate of his son's games, he's been known to go to great lengths to watch Bronny in action. In fact, he once chartered a plane on an off-day to catch Sierra Canyon play against his own alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio.
"To go watch my son play...and also versus my alma mater," LeBron told reporters, "it's a pretty surreal, come-full-circle, unbelievable thing."
In June 2024, Bronny was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers, making him and LeBron the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time.
Dwyane Wade and Zaire Wade
Also helping to make up the Sierra Canyon all-star squad? Zaire Wade, the eldest son of retired Miami Heat star (and former LeBron James teammate) Dwyane Wade.
"You've got to embrace it," Zaire, who transferred there in December 2019 from Florida, told Yahoo! Sports about the unusual amount of attention being paid to his team. "There are cameras on us wherever we go. There has been a lot of attention on me my whole life, but this is crazy. This is another level."
However, Zaire—unhappy with the lack of playing time he ended up getting—announced on Instagram In April 2020 that he'd be transferring to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, Fla.
Zaire was the 10th pick in the 2021 NBA G League draft, joing the Salt Lake City Stars. He went on to play for Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa Leagu before signing with the of the ASEAN Basketball League in April 2024.
Chad Johnson and Cha'iel Johnson
The retired football star has a daughter who may be able to leave him in the dust by now. After all, Cha'iel Johnson is a track and field star who competed in the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics at 12, winning the girls' 800-meter run.
She ran for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida, before joining the University of Kentucky athletics team.
Shaquille O'Neal and Shareef O'Neal
The NBA Hall of Famer's third-eldest child, who measures up at 6-foot-10, played college basketball for UCLA before being sidelined with a heart condition that required surgery.
After missing out on his 2018-19 season with the California-based school, he transferred to Louisiana State, where there's a 900-pound bronze statue of Shaq outside the LSU Basketball Practice Facility in honor of its famous alum.
Shaquille O'Neal and Amirah O'Neal
Shaq's 6-foot-2 daughter (pictured here with her brother Shareef O'Neal) announced her LSU enrollment in 2020 to join her sibling in playing college basketball for the school.
"One of the most difficult decisions for a person my age to make, is the jump from high school to college," she shared at the time. "Although I don't fully know what's ahead of me, I am ready for the challenge. I never imagined myself saying this, but I am excited to say that I have decided to commit to being a student athlete at LSU along side my brother Shareef O'Neal. I am Sooooo grateful to spend my next 4 years as a Tiger."
Zack Randolph and MacKenly Randolph
The eldest daughter of two-time NBA All-Star Zack Randolph played basketball alongside fellow NBA star scion Izela Arenas, daughter of Gilbert Arenas, during her studies at Sierra Canyon.
"I went to Michigan State under coach Tom Izzo," Randolph told the Los Angeles Times in December 2020. "He was a dog. Just hard. The boys you can be a little rough with. The girls, they have you wrapped around your finger. The girls look at you, 'Dad, I'm trying.' You have a special spot for the girls."
MacKenly said she'd beaten her dad three times in one-on-one, quipping, "He doesn't play any defense."
Terrell Owens and Terique Owens
The 6-foot-3 son of the NFL Hall of Famer committed to Florida Atlantic University in 2019 as a preferred walk-on. Terique played basketball for most of his life before switching to football as a teen. He got his post-high school playing career off the ground at Contra Costa Community College before transferring.
Scottie Pippen and Scotty Pippen Jr.
The Sierra Canyon graduate started all four years and won two state titles. He played college ball for Vanderbilt, before signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022.
After a brief stint on the NBA G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers, Scotty Jr. signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024.
Dennis Rodman and Dennis "DJ" Rodman Jr.
The former Chicago Bulls star and five-time NBA champion is a lot of things—and a dad is one of them.
His son Dennis Rodman Jr.—or DJ—played basketball and football at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif. After graduation, he became a forward at Washington State, before transferring to University of Southern California in 2023.
"He's one of the more under-rated or unknown players in Southern California," his high school coach, Ryan Schachter, told the Orange County Register after a game in 2017.
Dennis Rodman and Trinity Rodman
Though Dennis' son DJ followed his footsteps into basketball, his daughter Trinity Rodman carved her own path in the world of soccer. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled her freshman season with the Washington State Cougars, she went professional and joined Washington Spirit in 2021 and United States women's national soccer team in 2022.
Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods
It's only fitting that golfing's GOAT has a kid who's got mad skills on the course. Charlie Woods made his televised-golf debut at the age of 11 alongside his dad at the 2020 PNC Championship.
When asked if he had been working on his swing ahead of the father-son outing, the 15-time major champion said, "I haven't put in any time. I don't really care about my game. I'm just trying to make sure that Charlie has the time of his life and is able to enjoy all of this.''
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