Lakers' LeBron James Makes Surprising Admission About First Training Sessions with Bronny as Teammates

They'll be the first father-son duo to ever play next to each other in the NBA.

Nov 19, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with his son Bronny James during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It sounds like Los Angeles Lakers fans aren't the only people stunned that 20-time All-Star combo forward LeBron James is about to take the court next to his son, former one-and-done USC Trojans point guard Bronny. Per LeBron, even he has been taken aback by that impending reality while partaking in his first training sessions alongside Bronny as teammates.

During a new conversation on DraftKings' "GoJo & Golic," featuring longtime sports broadcasters Mike Golic Sr. (a former longtime NFl defensive end and defensive tackle while with the Houston Oilers, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins) and Mike Golic Jr., LeBron James revealed that he was at times so blown away by the fact that they were both Lakers that he was occasionally distracted.

“This week, we got back into the gym, and it was really the first time that me and Bronny was basically on the floor as professionals, trainin’, goin’ against each other, preparin’ for the season, and it was — I had a couple moments where I kinda just — I lost focus,” James told the Golics. “And I’m not used to losin’ focus when I’m out on the floor, but it was a couple times I was just lookin’ to the side and just watchin’ him and watchin’ him prepare and watchin’ him go after it, and it was just — it’s gonna be an unbelievable year for myself and I hope for him as well.”

LeBron James submitted yet another superlative season for the 47-35 Lakers in 2023-24. Across 71 games (his healthiest run since his 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers), the 6-foot-9 future Hall of Famer averaged 25.7 points while slashing .540/.410/.750 shooting splits, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

Bronny James, meanwhile, had a disappointing and ailment-challenged 2023-24 run with the Cardinal and Gold. While playing behind now-Utah Jazz point guard Isaiah Collier and now-Sacramento Kings point guard Boogie Ellis, the 6-foot-2 point guard averaged just 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 steals across 25 contests (six starts) for the 15-18 Trojans. He is expected to log significant time with Los Angeles' El Segundo-based G League affiliate squad, the South Bay Lakers, during his rookie season, but it seems like a fait accompli that Bronny and LeBron James will both take the floor together for the Lakers proper early on this year.

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