The basketball prowess of young LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr. has been almost as well documented as the free agency whims of his more famous father. Yet to this point, the younger James’ success has traditionally been pinned to factors besides athleticism that he shares with his father. It appears that may suddenly change.
As captured by Overtime, Bronny James almost broke through the magical dunk threshold during a game on Sunday, when the eighth-grader took off on a fastbreak, elevated above the rim and just missed as his ball slopped over the edge of the rim.
You can see the missed dunk at the very start of the video just above (and later in the natural flow of the game in the same highlight) or at the top of this post via Tweet).
The missed dunk came late in a blowout win for James Jr.’s North Coast Blue Chips at another weekend extravaganza. And while the ease of victory in this matchup made sure that there was no need for inspirational intervention, that wasn’t the case for the entire weekend, with the more famous LeBron James making a cameo to speak to the team of youngsters.
LeBron had to step in at halftime to coach the squad up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1hzLwvJwDZ — Overtime (@overtime) June 24, 2018
Overtime claims that LeBron’s speech above came at halftime of a matchup, though we weren’t able to independently verify that. We also can’t attest to how helpful the elder James’ intervention was — it appears as if he’s advising on how or when they should push up on defense — just that it definitely happened.
Of course, that’s news enough on its own. Want more insight or tea leaves? The event the Blue Chips were taking part in was Ballin’ on the Beach, a Miami event for each division of AAU team from 2-12 grade.
Hear that? LeBron was in Miami, with his family. Make of that what you will, Pat Riley beef and all.
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LeBron James knows a little something about being a teenage prodigy, as he was hailed as the next big thing as early as his freshman year of high school. That experience will come in handy for him now as a father, because his son LeBron James Jr. appears to be following in his footsteps as a 13-year-old.
Because of who his dad is, we’ve been seeing clips of Bronny on the basketball court for years, but recently it’s become apparent that the apple has not fallen far from the tree. Middle school-aged Bronny has shown an advanced array of moves and skills, both as a scorer and as a passer, clearly picking up some of his father’s basketball IQ.
At a recent game, with his dad in the stands, LeBron Jr. went for something we hadn’t ever seen out of him on the basketball court, as he tried to unleash an in-game dunk for the first time. He didn’t quite get up enough to throw it down but it’s pretty incredible to see how close the 13-year-old came to making it and it certainly got the attention of LeBron Sr. in the stands.
Sometimes superstar athletes are just like your dad.
LeBron James looked like the relatable father when he caught a recent game featuring his 13-year-old son, LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny.
So when his son almost pulled off a dunk, the elder James naturally had a great reaction and lucky for us, we got a glimpse of dad James.
Bronny James had Dad hype after his first in game dunk attempt! 👀👑🏝 pic.twitter.com/hnIHvQWEbn — SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) June 24, 2018
The video even has James doing some dance moves, including a dab.
We can't wait to see the video of LeBron's reaction when Bronny makes the dunk.
Proud dad alert! LeBron James was on the sidelines when his 13-year-old son attempted a slam dunk during a basketball game, and his reaction was PRICELESS. Check it out here!
LeBron James Jr, 13, is following in his dad’s footsteps on the basketball court! The teenager played in the “Balling on the Beach” tournament over the weekend, and his proud papa was there to take it all in. So, LeBron Jr. decided to give his old man a show — by trying out a slam drunk for the first time! Unfortunately, he missed the epic shot, but his dad was definitely impressed. Cameras panned to the NBA star on the sidelines, and his mouth literally dropped open in shock by what he witnessed.
LeBron was so stunned by what he saw, that he reposted the video to his own Instagram page later on, and raved over his son in the caption. “Man what!?!?!” he wrote. “First time he ever tried that in a game today! And it was someone kind trailing him behind too! Surprised not only me but everyone in the gym. Man o Man!” You know if you can impress an NBA champion like LeBron James…you’re doing something right. Could LeBron Jr. be well on his way to the NBA, too!?
In 2004, LeBron and his high school sweetheart, Savannah James, welcomed LeBron Jr. as their first child. Three years later, their son, Bryce Maximus, was born. LeBron proposed on New Year’s Eve 2011, and he and Savannah were married in 2013. Their daughter, Zhuri, was born the next year.
Bronny James had Dad hype after his first in game dunk attempt! 👀👑🏝 pic.twitter.com/hnIHvQWEbn — SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) June 24, 2018
LeBron led his NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to this year’s NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors for the fourth year in a row. However, the Warriors swept the Cavs 4-0 to win the series.
