Bronny James is staying in Los Angeles while his father begins a new chapter on the other side of the country.
LeBron James left the Lakers to join the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason, ending his run in L.A. and separating the NBA’s first father-son teammates.
But despite the significance of the decision, Bronny revealed there wasn’t much of a conversation between the two about LeBron’s departure.
“We’re men of very little words when it comes to talking about business and what we’re going to do and how we feel about each other,” Bronny said, according to ESPN. “So, it wasn’t really much [discussion] to be honest with you.
“He’s got his own path, and I got my own. He knows that I want to make a name for myself, and I want to continue my career and keep growing as a player. And he knows that I want to focus on that. So, he decided to do that.”
Bronny remains under contract with the Lakers, with his $2.3 million salary guaranteed this season.
After appearing in 42 regular-season games and eight playoff games last year, his focus is now on earning a bigger role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Part of that challenge is continuing to establish an identity separate from his father’s.
“You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron. I’ve been doing this for however long,” Bronny said. “It’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron.”
The separation also means father and son will go from sharing an NBA court as teammates to facing each other as opponents.
That first meeting is already circled on the calendar, with Philadelphia scheduled to visit Los Angeles on Christmas Day.
“I’m happy for him and excited to see where their season goes,” Bronny said. “I’m excited to see him on Christmas. I’m excited to play against him on Christmas, so that’s going to be good.”
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