“There’s no greater accomplishment that will be able to overtake me being able to be on the same floor as my son,” the NBA legend said.
LeBron James has a lot to be proud of.
In an interview with Craig Melvin that aired Monday, July 8 on Today, the basketball legend opened up about his feelings amid the recent news that he re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team that also selected his 19-year-old son, Bronny James, during the NBA draft.
“When it comes to basketball, it’s the greatest accomplishment that I’ve ever had,” said the athlete and father of three, 39.
And while he has “done it all as an individual,” LeBron told Melvin, 45, that “there’s no greater accomplishment that will be able to overtake me being on the same floor as my son.” He added, “It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened.”
Bronny — LeBron and wife Savannah James’ oldest child — was selected by the Lakers as the 55th overall pick during the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday, June 27.
Meanwhile, news that LeBron had re-signed to the Lakers broke on Saturday, July 6, with the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka sharing that the longtime player’s “commitment to continuous performance and long-term sustained excellence is unmatched.”
The father-son duo will become the first to play in the NBA at the same time, the organization noted at the time of Bronny’s selection. The two will also make history by playing on the same team when the new season starts up in October.
“LEGACY!!!!!! 🤴🏾🤴🏾,” LeBron captioned an Instagram post following the news of Bronny’s selection. The social media update included a slideshow of photos and videos of the two.
Bronny’s entrance into the big leagues follows his shortened season at the University of Southern California.
After suffering cardiac arrest during a practice last July, Bronny missed the first eight games of the NCAA season and was diagnosed with “an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” by doctors.
He returned to USC’s lineup to make his college-basketball debut in December 2023, with his father on hand to watch. But Bronny struggled throughout the rest of the year, starting in six of the team’s final 25 games and notching 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Though, according to ESPN, he impressed scouts at pre-draft workouts, where he told reporters his aim was to make it to the NBA and carve out his own legacy outside of his dad’s shadow. “My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself, and of course get to the NBA, which is everyone’s angle in here,” Bronny said, per the outlet.
Bronny added at the time, “I never thought about just playing with my dad, but of course, he’s brought it up a couple times.”
