LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday on December 30 and the LA Lakers megastar is still making history in his 22nd NBA season.
James was the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft as an 18-year-old, entering basketball's highest echelon with gargantuan expectations that he has since gone on to meet, claiming four championships, four Most Valuable Player awards and becoming the league's all-time leading scorer.
Earlier this season, the former Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers forward and his eldest child, Bronny, became the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA after the Lakers selected the 20-year-old guard in last year's draft.
And even before the pair stepped out together on the court, James had laid down a key rule to his offspring.
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"No, we already laid that, no, he can't," James said when asked if Bronny was allowed to call him "dad" during practices. "We already laid that down – cannot call me 'dad' in the workplace. Once we leave out of the practice facility and the gates close, I could be 'dad' again in the car, if we ride together.
"At home, I could be 'dad.' No, he got to call me '2-3' or 'Bron' or 'GOAT' if he want to. That's up to him. I mean, it's up to him.
"But it's easy for me. 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, hey son.' So, it's easy for me. It's going to be the adjustment for him. But we cannot be running down the court and he'd be like, 'Dad, push the ball up! Dad, I'm open! Dad, come on.' No, you cannot do that."
Thus far, Bronny has made just eight appearances for the Lakers – averaging 2.5 minutes and 0.5 points per outing – and has more recently been featuring with the club's G League outfit, the South Bay Lakers.
LeBron has led the Lakers to fifth place in the Wester Conference standings, averaging 24 points, 7.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game.
Topics: Lebron James, Franz Beckenbauer, Basketball, LA Lakers
Ryan Baldi