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Dad LeBron puts way to much pressure on son Bronny James yet again

The Los Angeles Lakers legend is understandably a proud father. But in his lengthy, viral Pat McAfee interview, he continues to add unnecessary burden on his oldest child.

Matthew Graham

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The only thing this author has in common with LeBron James is that we are both fathers.

Oh, and we both live in Los Angeles. That's where the similarities end.

Just when Bronny James, LeBron's oldest child, had started to turn NBA fans' sentiment to some good vibes with the Los Angeles Lakers' polarizing choice (and perceived blatant nepotism by many) with the No. 55 pick in last year's draft, his dad has to go and ruin it with his lengthy interview with Pat McAfee on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show."

RELATED: Bronny James' girlfriend Parker Whitfield shares rare selfie on couple's date night

Bronny James, LeBron James
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Many other parts of the interview will grab all of the headlines, like his brutal takedown of ESPN's $100-million man Stephen A. Smith and NBA insider Brian Windhorst, not to mention the NBA possibly rigging the 2003 NBA draft lottery, and at its surface, the 40-year-old Lakers legend's comments about Bronny seem sweet.

"Listen for me as a dad, it doesn't matter if he never scores, ever," James said. "For me as a dad, I'm just super proud of him period, as a young man. For me, as a mentor and as a teammate of his, that wants to see him thrive because I've seen the work he's put into the game, I am super proud of his development to where he is now. From the moment that he was drafted in June of 2025 to us being now in March of 2026, his development is skyrocketed."

RELATED: Savannah James smokes Bronny haters with 4-words as son finds his groove

LeBron James, Bronny James
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Forget the 40-year-old old-man moment of thinking it's 2026 (ok, another thing we have in common with old-man moments), if this was all LeBron had to say about his son, coming off his epic 39-point G League performance and the still only 20-year-old Lakers rookie's best game against the Milwaukee Bucks last week, that would have been fantastic. But wait...

Then LeBron shares a powerful story about how he had a good friend, who also played basketball, who suffered a cardiac arrest at 23 years old and never played again. Not only that, it took him two and a half years to even feel normal again. Bronny, of course, scarily suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2023 when he was training at USC.

RELATED: LeBron gives real reason for Bronny James confrontation with Stephen A. Smith

LeBron James family
Feb 7, 2023: LeBron James poses for photos with his sons Bronny and Bryce, daughter Zhuri, wife Savannah and mother Gloria. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

"He's doing things right now, in less than two years, and it's because of his determination and his will to want to get better and his will to like, 'I don't really care what y'all are saying. I hear it.' He read an article the other day. He was like, 'Yeah, I hear the noise. I use that as motivation, but I also know what I'm capable of.'... I tell me kids. It doesn't matter about the noise. It's going to happen. It's only about, if you love it. Go out and practice. If you fall in love with it, you can only fall in love with the process. Don't worry about the outcome. Fall in love with the process and that s**t will take care of itself. Super proud of Bronny."

In a vacuum, even the second part of talking for his son wouldn't have been a big deal. But as a totality, LeBron is doing Bronny a disservice with all of this added pressure.

Why is he confronting Stephen A. Smith, in the middle of a game, that will most certainly go viral? Why after the dust has finally settled and folks have moved on, and his oldest child is finally thriving, is he going on "The Pat McAfee Show" to double down on his Stephen A. feud, belittling one of ESPN's biggest stars? Why is he speaking on behalf of Bronny?

This is all behavior that only hurts one person: Bronny. It's hard enough for him to live in the shadow of the hotly-debated possible NBA GOAT. (Speaking of GOAT debate Michael Jordan still doesn't speak to him.) As Bronny said after that South Bay Lakers G League game, "I belong out here. That's all I'm trying to prove."

Lakers fans are dying for Bronny to succeed. Every time he goes into the game, the home crowd is ecstatic. Bronny has also shown he can handle himself with hostile away crowds, most recently with an epic comeback to a heckler at a Denver Nuggets game.

So dad to dad, just stay out of the way. Let Bronny speak (and act) for himself.

Bronny James
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Matthew Graham
MATTHEW GRAHAM

Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.

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