Lakers News: LeBron James ‘Emotional’ Watching Bronny James In McDonald’s All-American Game

Corey Hansford
4 Min Read
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Around this time 20 years ago, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was putting on a show at the McDonald’s All-American Game. This year, it was his son Bronny James who was on the court and proving that he belongs amongst the country’s elite high school talents.

While LeBron was solidified as the top prospect in his class, Bronny is not as highly touted. LeBron’s oldest son is the 28th-ranked prospect by ESPN and 35th by 24/7 Sports. When he was named a McDonald’s All-American, some questioned the choice and wondered if he only got the nod due being LeBron James’ son.

But Bronny proved some people wrong as he finished the game with 15 points and four assists, knocking down 5-of-8 3-pointers while also participating in the Slam Dunk Contest the prior night. For LeBron to watch his son shine on that big stage, the Lakers star admitted it was emotional to witness, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“Just too emotional, super-duper emotional. Watching my boy out there with the best players in the country, that was just a surreal moment. I just was thinking about my moment 20 years ago and being super proud to just be out there representing my city, representing my family and trying to put on a show. Now that I look back on it I feel like it was set up. It’s been a lot of stuff that’s been some funny things about my career. Now that I look back on it, the fact that it was in Cleveland is a little weird to me now that I think about it. I was super proud of Bronny, this thing is definitely not about me it’s about Bronny and what he was able to. He showed that he belonged. He showed that he can play with anybody in the country. And more importantly he’s just a great kid. He deserved every moment that he had yesterday and our family is super proud of him.”

LeBron has always been about his family first and supporting them in everything that they do. It is a brave move for Bronny to follow in his father’s footsteps and play basketball, but he is handling it well and shining when it matters most. The pressure on him is immense and will not die down anytime soon.

Bronny is still undecided where he will play college basketball though USC, Oregon and Ohio State have all been mentioned as possibilities. But for LeBron himself, to continue to watch his growth as a basketball player and person overall will be one of his biggest priorities and James will be proud regardless of the path he chooses.

LeBron James refuses to pay for Twitter blue checkmark

LeBron has the money to do basically whatever he wants to do in the world. But one thing he won’t be using it for is to get a blue checkmark on Twitter.

One of the changes Elon Musk brought to Twitter was the edition of a ‘Twitter Blue’ subscription for $8 and LeBron took to the social media platform to make it clear that he won’t be paying for it. And if he loses that blue checkmark because of it, then so be it.

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Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.