For Bronny James, starting over is not a new thing. From a terrifying cardiac episode to entering the NBA and now playing his first NBA season without his dad as a teammate, he’s made intense personal scrutiny and physical adversity look easy. On the rare occasion he offered a candid look into what it’s like to be in his shoes, he drew a heartfelt response from his father, NBA superstar and now Bronny’s cross-conference rival, LeBron James.
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Appearing on creator Evan Thompson’s Break 30 golf vlog, the newly turned 22-year-old guard reflected on the immense pressure attached to his family name when giving aspiring NBA players some advice.
“I think I’ve gone through a lot of like hardship and stuff that I had had to overcome,” Bronny shared during the drive on the fairway. “And I think just keeping that mindset of you got to keep working and you got to, you know, stay at what you’re doing. You know, it’s going to get you out of, you know, whatever you are, and keep your family close, keep your friends close, cause those are the people that believe in you.”
Bronny went deeper and pointed directly to his terrifying cardiac arrest during his college tenure at USC to underscore the resilience and consistency needed for young athletes.
“And, you know, if you want to make it to where you want to be, you got to put in the work and you got to stay consistent. And that’s what, you know, that’s what I did. And you know, after having the hard situation in college, like just made me go even harder, and it ended up… being in my favor.”
When Thompson noted that navigating those challenges likely altered his outlook on life, Bronny agreed without hesitation. “For sure.”
The vulnerable moment resonated deeply with the elder James. LeBron didn’t just double-tap Thompson’s Instagram post promoting the video. He reposted it to his Instagram Story with a series of emotional emojis — “🙌🙌🙌🙌🥺🥺🥺🤎.”
LeBron was obviously speechless but that didn’t hold him from publicly praising his son’s maturity over the arduous road that brought him to the professional level.
A few commentors believed LeBron James’ son is hardly qualified to talk about ‘hardship’ but Bronny’s supporters argued that his medical episode is a huge part of what he overcame. In 2023, Bronny collapsed during a USC practice session. It was later revealed that he had suffered cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect.
He made his college debut less than six months later and entered the 2024 NBA draft. After the Lakers picked him up in the second round, he made history with his dad as the first father-son duo to take the court. And after two remarkable seasons together, Bronny’s ready to step out of LeBron’s shadow.
The emotional exchange arrives at a transformative turning point for both father and son. Following eight historic seasons in LA, an NBA championship, an NBA Cup trophy, an all-time scoring record, and sharing the floor with his son, LeBron James officially closed his Lakers chapter by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bronny now faces a completely new reality in LA. Entering his third NBA season, he’s one of the three longest-tenured players still in the rotation, alongside Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Without his father in the locker room, most speculated what would happen to Bronny’s future in LA. But he made it clear at Media Day that he embraces the challenge of establishing his own identity under Luka Doncic, the new Lakers’ undisputed leader.
“You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron. I’ve been doing this for however long, so I think it’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron. I’m ready to get out there and play.”
Bronny also expressed excitement about navigating the roster without his father’s presence, noting, “It’s something different for sure. I’m excited for the experience. Experience something different with him not being here and to see how the staff treats me without him being here.”
With the Lakers operating in full win-now mode around backcourt anchors Doncic and Reaves, the pressure on Bronny to deliver tangible rotational production has never been higher. There was a lot of criticism about JJ Redick playing Bronny as a point guard during the preseason matchup against the Warriors, but it also showed that the head coach is invested in experimenting with Bronny.
Yet, as his reflections on the golf course demonstrated, the young guard enters this defining season with a battle-tested mindset, ready to carve out his identity strictly on his own terms.