LeBron and Bronny James are entering an unprecedented NBA situation.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar and rookie second-round pick will become the first father-son duo to ever simultaneously play in the Association during the 2024-25 season -- and they'll do so as teammates.
LeBron has always been dad to Bronny, but now they'll be co-workers, as well. So how will the younger James refer to the elder James when they're at the practice facility, in the locker room, on the bench or in a game together? Well, one name is already off the table.
In a preview of an upcoming episode of "The Shop," LeBron gave a definitive answer when asked whether Bronny will be calling him "dad" during team activities.
"No, we already laid that down. He cannot call me 'dad' in the workplace," LeBron said. "Once we leave the practice facility and the gates close, I could be 'dad' again. In the car if we ride together, at home, I can be 'dad.'"
"We cannot be running down the court and he be like, 'Dad, push the ball up! Dad, I'm open! Dad, come on!'," he added.
NBA
So what will Bronny be referring to his dad as?
"He got to call me like '2-3,' 'Bron' or, you know, 'GOAT' if he wants to," LeBron said. "It's up to him."
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. >Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"It's easy for me because I've been calling him 'Bronny' for so long. It's not like I've been calling him, 'Hey son,'" he continued. "But it's going to be the adjustment for him."
LeBron and Bronny's first time sharing the floor could come as soon as Oct. 4 when the Lakers open their preseason slate against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. That will be the first of six exhibition games for Los Angeles before the Lakers open the regular season at home against Minnesota on Oct. 22.
