LeBron James, Philadelphia 76ers forward, has played numerous opponents in his 22 seasons in the playoffs, but not even a single one has had the same surname as him. However, a recently aired podcast theory has changed all that.
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Bill Simmons, a seasoned podcaster, tackled a fan-proposed trade theory on his show, based on a simple premise of whether LeBron James could relax while playing against his son.
“No way he’s looking to embarrass his son. This is really good. I would have a lot of trouble embarrassing my son in front of a crowd of 20,000 people at a nationally televised game,” Simmons said.
Simmons made this remark in response to a mailbag question regarding the possibility of an Eastern Conference team trading for Bronny specifically to guard LeBron in a playoff series. This assumption is based on the thought that paternal instinct may outweigh the competitive instinct in such a scenario.
Joe House, Simmons’s co-host on his podcasts, went a step further by suggesting the Cleveland Cavaliers as a possible destination for Bronny.
“So if you’re Cleveland, you would go, you trade like a minimum for Bronny, bring him back. Bronny is on the team, and now he’s just kind of lurking, almost like a kryptonite situation for LeBron,” Simmons added.
LeBron already has history in Cleveland. The Athletic’s Joe Vardon once wondered if LeBron would come back to Cleveland with Bronny, but instead, at age 41, LeBron signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in this offseason.
The Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th pick in 2024 and became the first-ever father-son combination to play together in an NBA regular-season game. It is up to him if he can make the cut with the Lakers, especially with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves next to him.
Social Media Weighs In on LeBron Facing Off With His Son
The theory was quickly spreading through social media, where fans discussed how the competitive spirit of LeBron could overshadow the instinctive urge of protecting his son on the court.
“LeBron would dunk on him without question and start laughing if he got pissed,” said a fan.
This approach ties in with LeBron’s penchant for making a spectacle of himself against his rivals. This is something that LeBron has not been afraid of showing off once he knows that an opponent is getting flustered.
“LeBron would not take it easy on him,” another fan wrote.
This is consistent with the rule that LeBron put in place during the first year of Bronny’s professional basketball career, where LeBron supposedly prohibited his son from addressing him as “Dad.” Bronny was expected to refer to him as “23” or “Bron.”
“I’m sure this is a lighthearted convo. Also, LeBron has ZERO issues competing with whoever is in front of him. ZERO,” read another reaction.
This aligns with how LeBron plays his close friends when the game starts. LeBron has played in the same manner throughout the years against Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul despite the relationship outside basketball. LeBron has openly admitted that they are brothers off the court but enemies on it.
“LBJ would annihilate him. Full scale I’ll get another type ish,” a user commented.
LeBron does have such an attitude, as proven by his dunk over Jason Terry, which followed after a bit of trash-talking. That play is considered to be the most merciless in his career and is being shown even now.
“He’s 40-something and can still drop 40. Bronny doesn’t stand a chance,” read one more reaction.
LeBron scored 42 points when he was 40 years old in February 2025, which makes him the oldest basketball player ever to achieve this feat. He also holds the distinction of scoring 40 points at the youngest age of 19.
From top to bottom, the fans all felt that James’ competitive streak would prevail over his sense of fatherhood, more so considering how James has never backed down from anyone close to him.