“Uncle Shaq Loves” Bronny James – 3 Instances When Lakers Legend Was Highly Protective Of LeBron’s Son

When criticizing Bronny James became a trendy hobby online, his ‘uncle’ became his biggest hypeman. Shaquille O’Neal was LeBron James‘ rival longer than he was a teammate during their overlapping careers. Yet, friendly bickering and their kids connect them. Bronny’s closeness to Shaq’s fam is why the O’Neal kids refer to him as their ‘twin’ and Shaq declared him his nephew. They make up Bronny’s stacked protective squad who do not accept the ‘nepo baby’ slander.

The Summer League barely marks Bronny’s NBA debut. But the nepotism allegations spilled out faster than he could make a drive. Through that whirlwind of hate, Uncle Shaq stepped up to shield him. Shaq differed from his usual tough-love stance on rookies to defend Bronny before and after he became a Laker.

#1 Shaq overpowers the Bronny hate

Bronny James’ Summer League performance overall has been less than impressive, averaging 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in four games. He wouldn’t be the first rookie to struggle to find his footing. But being LeBron James’ son makes him a troll’s favorite target. Someone who’s got a tough skin for trolls is Shaquille O’Neal.

When TMZ caught up with him in the NYC streets on Wednesday, O’Neal had a shoutout for Bronny. “Keep playing hard, Bronny,” he said and followed it with, “Uncle Shaq loves you.” Message received.

Bronny followed his unc’s positive reinforcement by sinking a 17-foot jumper on Wednesday night. From missing all 15 three-point attempts in the Summer League, Bronny had the whole Thomas & Mack crowd on its feet in one move. The Los Angeles Lakers ended their four-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Hawks 87-86 while Bronny had his best game yet with 12 points. His second of two 3-pointers was responsible for tying the score late in the game. Can Shaq get an ‘I told you so?’

#2 Lay off Big Diesel‘s nephew

A fan’s question on The Big Podcast was designed to fluster Shaq. Who would he pick between Bronny James and Angel Reese to be free of public scrutiny? O’Neal knows his ‘niece’ aka Reese can hold her own. So he didn’t stutter picking Bronny and for a reason close to home.

“I would like to get the scrutiny off Bronny James,” O’Neal said. He had filmed the episode before the draft but it aired after James was selected 55th overall in the second round. “Yeah, my nephew. He’s a kid, a great kid; all he wants to do is play. It’s unfortunate for kids like ours; they have to live up to what we have done.” 

Shaq relates to LeBron best. His son, Shareef, also overcame a heart condition as Bronny did. He returned to the court after surgery, also worked out with the Lakers, went undrafted and played in the G-league. His NBA career didn’t work out but he wasn’t spared the nepotism tag either. The family would likely endure that with Shareef’s younger siblings, Shaqir and Me’Arah on the NBA and WNBA tracks, respectively.

Honorary mention goes to Shareef who has been in Bronny’s shoes. He and his siblings have been drowning out the hate with their social media posts. The one time a social media user mocked Bronny’s cardiac episode, Shareef shut down the disrespect.

#3 Shaquille O’Neal’s brand of ‘respectable nepotism’

Shaq knows their kids can’t shake off the label, so he spun it into a positive thing for his six kids. The James kids could also benefit from the ‘respectable nepotism’ the O’Neal kids followed. A part of Shaq’s policy is he’d be a mentor before an investor in his kids’ dreams. He knew Bronny had that when he prepared for the draft combine in May.

Bronny’s objective was to prove his relatively young age and his past health episode won’t take away from his potential. Shaq had his fingers crossed for him but also knew he had it in the bag. “His father is one of the greatest players ever, so he’s probably one of the best advisors ever,” he said in another street interview.

If there are any perks to having LeBron or Shaq as a dad, it’s the mentorship. As Shaq said, their kids don’t have to surpass them.