Bronny James can't call LeBron 'dad' while they're on the Lakers together

LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers used their second-round pick in this year's draft to take his son Bronny James. But their connection is not to be spoken about on the court, according to LeBron. 

LeBron said Bronny can't call him "dad" when they're at work for the Lakers. 

"We already laid that down. He cannot call me dad in the workplace," James said in an appearance on "The Shop" Tuesday. "Once we leave out of the practice facility and the gates close, I can be dad again in the car if we ride together."

The acceptable terms Bronny can use to address his father include, "two-three," "Bron" or "GOAT."

"We cannot be running down the court, and he's like ‘Dad, push the ball up!' or ‘Dad, I'm open, dad!' No, you cannot do that," James said. 

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Bronny James Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas and Mack Center July 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)

The Lakers' selection of Bronny with the 55th overall pick in June was one of the most controversial stories to come out of this year's NBA Draft. 

Bronny's selection came after he played just one collegiate season at USC in which he started just six games. As a bench player, he averaged 4.8 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game, all well below average for typical NBA prospect numbers, even for second-rounders. 

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom has said the only reason the 19-year-old was drafted is because of his dad.

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Bronny James Jr. of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of a 2024 California Classic summer league game against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center July 6, 2024, in San Francisco.  (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

"He might be a good dude, but he’s not good enough to play in the NBA. The reason he got drafted is because of LeBron. The reason JJ Redick is the coach is because of LeBron," he told OutKick's "Don't @ Me," in July. 

Bronny has said he is aware of the criticism. But he also believes his statistics and performance at USC don't accurately reflect him as a player.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with son Bronny James during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Nov. 19, 2023. (Kiyoshi Mio/USA Today Sports)

"It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure. I’ve already seen it in (social) media and on the internet and stuff talking about (how) I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it." he told reporters in early July. 

"I feel like I've been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn't given that much of an opportunity at USC."

The teenager's college career started off frighteningly with a cardiac arrest while he worked out on campus shortly after participating in the McDonald's All-American Game in July 2023. It was determined he has a congenital heart defect, and it delayed his debut for USC. 

But no matter how that may have affected his short college career, Bronny is now a Laker. LeBron will do his best to keep their workplace relationship as professional as possible, regardless of his son's professional acumen. 

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.