EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Bronny James said he was doing a radio interview Monday at the Los Angeles Lakers media day when he recognized the photographer taking pictures of him.
It was his dad.
You know, LeBron James.
“It was like, what’s going on right now, is literally my thoughts,’’ Bronny told reporters. “Yeah, just trying to take it all in.’’
It is unprecedented, a father and son playing for the same NBA team. Much less the father being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time NBA champion.
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So, practice starts Tuesday. The preseason starts Friday. And on Monday, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. and LeBron James Sr. got off to a nice start.
“Definitely not,’’ Bronny James said with a smile when asked if he planned to ride with his dad to and from practice. “There’s already so much that we’ve been grouped together as I’d like to stay away as possible from that guy.’’
But it’s hard to couple this with LeBron James saying things like, ‘I’ve played in the NBA longer than he’s been alive.’
LeBron James, 39, made his NBA debut in 2003. Bronny, who turns 20 on Sunday, actually was born a month before LeBron’s second NBA season.
LeBron James regards his dream, now a reality
For years, LeBron has said his dream was to play in the NBA with his oldest son. Now the dream is becoming reality. Though not always totally dreamy, it seems.
‘If you have kids, I mean at my age and his age, there’s not really much interaction going on a day-to-day basis,’ LeBron James said. ‘I mean, he comes down, he eats, goes to his room, plays video game.
“I’m down there with my wife, we watching a movie, he’ll stop in. So it’s not much like, ‘Hey, meet me at the table at five o’clock,’ you discuss work. That doesn’t happen.’’
Well, that could change.
Father and son already have been scrimmaging against each other during the NBA’s voluntary workouts.
“It’s a pure joy,’’ LeBron James said, “to be able to come to work every day, put in the hard work, work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow. We push each other, he push me, I push him. We push our teammates and vice versa. So just a very joyous moment for not only for myself, but for our family.’’
LeBron James offered no clues about whether he thinks Bronny will spend the full season with the Lakers or also spend time with the Lakers’ G-League team.
“No matter if it’s here with us or if it’s down with the G-League team and him continuing to get better and better and better, I don’t know what that even looks like,’’ he said. “His job is to put the work in, get better and better just like the rest of us, and we want to hold him accountable.’’
Bronny James aware of the critics
Though he apparently has no interest in driving with his dad to and from work, that does not mean Bronny isn’t excited about being on the same team as his father.
‘I think I’m most looking forward to practice just going head-to-head with each other,” Bronny said. ‘I feel like that’s such a crazy feeling to be in practice with your dad competing at a high level, but on the other side of that, having to go against LeBron James is kind of a lot in practice every day.’
Bronny, the Lakers’ second-round draft pick this year, sat down next to the first-round Lakers pick, Dalton Knecht. He knows some people don’t think he deserves a seat at that table, or in the NBA, despite the warm-hearted storyline of playing with his dad.
He said he intends to stick with his same routine and be himself, ‘but also taking the time to tune out all the noise and tune out all the people that don’t think I should be here while also trying to get in the gym, put my work in and keep improving myself everywhere.
“I just continue to try to be myself every day, doing the things I love since I’ve been a kid and just trying to keep that routine up and being myself,’’ he said. “But also taking the time to tune out all the noise and tune out all the people that don’t think I should be here while also trying to get in the gym, put my work in and keep improving myself everywhere.’’
Watching LeBron, Bronny is ‘dope’
Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ star big man, said his locker is directly across from Bronny’s.
“So every time I walk in, it’s just still surreal to me that he is on the same team as his dad,’’ Davis said. “And I get to be a part of it and witness each and every practice, each game, each moment that they have for at least this first year.
“So I can’t wait until they step on the floor together (and) officially make history, but it’s been super dope to watch so far.’’
It might get even more entertaining. A reporter reminded Bronny that LeBron has banished use of the word ‘dad” during Lakers practices.
‘I haven’t given it any thought,” Bronny said, breaking into a grin. ‘Whatever comes out of my mouth when I’m trying to speak to him is what he’s gonna accept.’
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11
(This story was updated to add new information).