The influence that fathers have on the lives of their children is impactful. A father is a child’s first hero, leader, and positive role model. Children look to them for guidance on how to navigate through this crazy world.
When your father is LeBron James, who recently opened up a school for at-risk kids his hometown of Akron, it would be hard not to be inspired by his moves. Especially if your name is LeBron (Bronny) James Jr.
Bronny James Jr. has had the internet on fire as of late. The 13-year old basketball phenom’s buzz now has gained more momentum after accomplishing a hoop dreams milestone: dunking a basketball.
It wasn’t your typical one-hand slam that we see many times over, either. “The Young King” threw up an alley-oop to himself and flushed it home cleanly, in front of a star-studded crowd, featuring Dwayne Wade, Quavo, and Chris Paul.
YOUNG KING BOUNCING 👑
Bronny just banged his first-ever dunk‼️ pic.twitter.com/NwFy7TeunY
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) July 29, 2018
The Bronny James hype train reached its boiling point July 19th when King James shared a breathtaking fan-made 2K video of him and Bronny both playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The scary part is that this could all be a reality five years from now.
During an UNINTERRUPTED interview with Rachel Nichols two days before game one of the NBA Finals, LeBron James Jr. spoke about having the opportunity to play with his son. LeBron Sr. said,
“You want to ask me what is the greatest achievement of my life?” If I’m on the same court as my son in the NBA. That would be number one in my lifetime as an NBA player. I’ve thought about it because my son is about to be 14, and he might be able to get in there a little earlier.”
On that same day, Bronny was going through his own trials and tribulations on the court. With his James Sr. present in the stands, Bronny had to withstand an onslaught of “overrated” chants being shouted at him from the crowd, similar to what his father has had to endure throughout his career.
SMH at fans chanting “overrated” at 13 year old Bronny James 🤔 pic.twitter.com/QOPvyOxaXV
— Overtime (@overtime) July 19, 2018
Unphased, the young versatile guard leads his North Coast Blue Chips team to a commanding victory with a 60 point blow out.
The “overrated” chants seemed to be a common theme throughout the USBA National Tournament.
During another game after Bronny suffered a minor injury, the opposition began to yet again howl out overrated. Never trippin’, Bronny responded with saucing up defenders and securing another victory.
While it may seem like Bronny is following in his father’s footsteps, he’s simultaneously creating his own path.
Recently, his North Coast Blue Chips squad was crowned the USBA National Champions and he just finished putting on a show at the Las Vegas classic, winning the Bigfoot Hoops 7th Grade Championship.
In the age of social media, news spreads like wildfire. Anything that Bronny does from here on out is going to be magnified 100 times over.
Fortunately for Bronny, his father is there to mentor him through whatever storm he faces. And for Bronny, he’s learning at a young age that his only competition is with himself.
He’s already cementing his legacy as a young king. It’s going to be fun watching Bronny hone his skills until it’s time for him to takeover the throne.