While his own future is yet to be decided, LeBron James is excited about his son Bronny’s prospects. The media attention on Bronny since he declared for the NBA Drafts 2024 is something even King James acknowledged. The son of the Los Angeles Lakers megastar has been making a name for himself ever since, and then for his impressive performance in the Draft Combine. And now his father shared an emotional message as Bronny lit up the Lakers practice facility at Draft Pro Day.

Bronny James has a lot of pressure on him to prove that a team should pick him in the Draft because of his skill and talent and not because who his father is. And with each passing day he is proving himself worthy. Earlier, he was not considered to be selected in the 58-player draft, but now he finds himself in mocks, including ESPN’s. This is especially inspirational considering he suffered a cardiac arrest last year during basketball practice and his performances since then have been indifferent.

So, with all his energy and pure intent, his father visited the Lakers facility to see his son display his skills once again at the Klutch Pro Day event. Both his parents stood in the stands, cheering their son on. What stood out the most was not just the glimmer in their eyes, seeing their son play, but was the heartfelt message that LeBron had to share with the whole world.

LeBron James took to Instagram to shared a post with his 159 million followers of his son making back-to-back dunks, showing off his athleticism. The short video had Gunna’s track, ‘One of Wun’ playing in the background, with James pouring his heart out for Bronny, “Can’t even explain how @mrs_savannahrj & I were feeling today watching our boy continue on his journey! Excited, emotional, anxiety, jittery, proud, etc etc etc!!! We’re all so proud of you @bronny! #onlythestrongestsurvive #JamesGang”

Apart from his parents, LeBron James’ Lakers teammate Anthony Davis was also in attendance alongside members from NBA’s front office. His prowess in the practice session, where he made dunk after dunk would have made LeBron and Savannah even more proud.

Bronny James announced his decision to apply for the 2024 NBA draft in April, declaring an end to his freshman season with the University of South Carolina. Even before he reached this stage, many NBA analysts had questioned whether the young star was ready to take his talents to the big league or whether NBA franchises would consider him a valuable prospect. After all, Bronny could only score an average of 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists throughout 25 games as a USC Trojans guard. However, if recent events are any indication, the player can at least be considered a worthy contender.

During Day 1 of the NBA Draft Combine, Bronny scored 4 points and 4 rebounds during the game. However, in the shooting star drill that took place alongside the matchup, he made 19-25 three-pointer attempts. The next day, with LeBron James in attendance, he successfully scored 13 points within 23 minutes. 

Given his improvement on the court, his father talked about how media has turned their attention on Bronny. In his podcast Mind the Game, James mentioned his much discussed appearance in Cleveland during the playoff game against Celtics. He said, “I think they say you know, ‘Since your dad’ not in the playoffs no more, you know what? We’re going to ride your coattail, Bronny James. We can’t get to say anything right now. He declined an interview at the Cavs game. We can’t get him to say anything. So we’re gonna use your son.”

King James is yet to make a decision on his future. He has a $51.4 million player option for next season with Lakers and could either exercise that, sign a new deal or become a free agent with rumors of a return to Cleveland growing.

That being said, it’s not just his parents who have been all praise for Bronny. He received appreciation from other quarters as well.

Potential Lakers’ head coach nominee JJ Redick praises Bronny James’ “perspective”

While criticism about Bronny James continued to run rampant, many stood behind the 19-year-old. One such person is former Orlando Magic player JJ Redick, who has been linked with the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching job after the removal of Darvin Ham.

Despite having not been a part of the NBA for over three years, Redick continues serving as a sports analyst. It wasn’t that long ago when he and LeBron James teamed up to form their podcast, ‘Mind the Game.’ During episode 8 of the same, the former player even showered Bronny with praises for all the answers he could give during his Draft Combine interview. As per Redick, Bronny showed a substantial amount of maturity and self-awareness, which is uncommon for his age.

“He (Bronny James) had some quotes where he talked about certain players in the NBA that he felt he could play like, and I thought it was neat,” said Redick. “Not every 19-year-old kid has that perspective.”

Former NBA star Jamal Crawford also praised Bronny James’ combine performance and said he would have been an exciting prospect even without his father’s last name. Crawford said, “6’1″ with a 40 inch vertical, that’s going to jump off the page. And then you shoot 25 threes and make 19 of them, I’m watching that. And he’s making the right play.”

Bronny is having a really productive time at the Draft Combine so far. Despite the odds, despite all the infamous mock drafts or his “undersized” stature, he is breaking verticals. It’s safe to say that LeBron and Savannah couldn’t be more proud of their son, who’s set his path to go on the journey of a lifetime.

For more such Bronny updates, keep visiting EssentiallySports, and to know what Leonard Armato had to say about LeBron James in an exclusive conversation with us, watch this video: