LeBron James only asks one thing of his sons' coaches
LeBron James said a part of the reason why his sons Bronny and Bryce have progressed in their basketball careers is because he never babied them or got involved with how they were coached.
During the latest installment of his 'Mind the Game' podcast, the Lakers superstar made it clear that he wants anyone who coaches his kids to hold them accountable more than their teammates.
'I've never gotten involved with my kids' coaches,' James, 40, said. 'From Bronny growing up to where he is now [in the NBA], and Bryce on his way to Tucson, Arizona [where he committed to Arizona]. I've never gotten involved. I've never went to a practice and sat there through practice the whole time to see how my son is being utilized. I never got on the phone with the coaches.
Advertisement
'Coach my son, coach him however you want to. And I think you need to hold him more accountable. I hope you hold him accountable more than any other kid here. And say what the f–k you need to say, no matter how it's being said.
'If you could just take the message. It's not about how he said it, just take the message out of it. I think that builds character as well and I think it's part of the reason they are where they are at this stage in their lives. Babying your kid and always thinking that your kid is this… and that and not allowing coaches to coach them or not allowing people to be hard on them — and as soon as a coach says something to them you pull them and go somewhere else, or as soon as someone says something bad about your kid you're the first person to go talk in his face. It's like, 'you go f–king coach him then.''
Advertisement
5 Lakers star LeBron James talks about not interfering with his sons' basketball coaches during the latest installment of his 'Mind the Game' podcast.
YouTube/Mind the Game
Bronny, who was a standout guard at Sierra Canyon High School, played for one season at USC before the Lakers selected him with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
He and LeBron became the first father and son duo to play in the NBA together.
5 Bronny James #9 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during the game against the Houston Rockets on April 11, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
NBAE via Getty Images
Advertisement
Bronny, 20, showed flashes of potential after he struggled in Summer League and the beginning of his debut campaign with the Lakers.
In 27 NBA appearances, the guard averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 31.3 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent from 3-point range.
5 Bronny James and Bryce James attend a Lakers-Bucks game at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 9, 2023.
USA TODAY Sports
Advertisement
The younger James was back and forth from the Lakers to the South Bay Lakers in the G League, with whom he averaged 21.9 points, 44.3 percent shooting and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Bronny missed the first eight games of his freshman year at USC after he a cardiac arrest incident during a practice in July 2023.
In his lone season with the Trojans, Bronny averaged 4.8 points (on 36.6 percent shooting), 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 appearances.
5 LeBron James #23 and Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers talk during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
NBAE via Getty Images
Bryce, a 6-foot-6 senior guard out of Sierra Canyon, committed to the Wildcats in January after he took an unofficial visit to Arizona.
He returned to Sierra Canyon for his junior year in 2023, after transferring to Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles
James and his wife Savannah, are also parents to daughter, Zhuri, turning 11 in October.
5 LeBron James, Bryce James, Zhuri James, Savannah James and Bronny James at The 2023 ESPYS held at Dolby Theatre on July 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Variety via Getty Images
Advertisement
As for James? The four-time NBA champ has a $52.6 million player option that he could opt into to return next season for his 23rd campaign. He will turn 41 in December.
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, said he would discuss his playing future with his family after the Lakers' season ended with a loss to the Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on April 30.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
29 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
David Greenwood, former UCLA and Verbum Dei star who won an NBA title, dies
David Greenwood adored basketball so much in middle school that he would play for three different teams in three different parks on the same day, multiple times a week. His brother, Al, would be in the car driving around with him between games while David traded in his sweaty uniform for a fresh one, repeating the process over and over. 'He was relentless,' Al said, 'because he loved the game.' At home, David would get tossed around in driveway games by the cement contractor father who was twice his size, only to keep getting back up for more contact. In practices, he shot blindfolded to perfect his form, his brother having to let him know when he was close to going out of bounds so that he could get his bearings. Greenwood, the determined Compton kid who went from a star high school player at Verbum Dei to one of the top scorers in UCLA history to an NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, died Sunday night at a Riverside hospital from cancer. He was 68. True to the nature of someone who played through debilitating foot injuries throughout his career, Greenwood did not inform family of his illness until the end of his life. 'Everything happened so quickly,' said Bronson Greenwood, David's nephew. 'It was kind of a shock.' One of the all-time great high school players in Southern California, Greenwood and teammate Roy Hamilton were among the final players recruited by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. They were shocked when Wooden retired shortly after their senior season of high school and was replaced by Gene Bartow. But they decided to stick with their commitments, lured in part by the pitch of a coach they would never play for in college. 'He told me if I went to USC or UNLV or Notre Dame, I'd be an All-American,' Greenwood once told The Times of Wooden's proposal. 'But if I went to UCLA, I'd be able to test myself against 12 other high school All-Americans every single day. ... It was kind of like, 'Come here and test your mettle.' ' Greenwood's work ethic continued to push him as a Bruin. His practices with the team were followed by an hour in another gym, his brother feeding him passes. Along the way, he never shortchanged himself or teammates. 'If he said he was going to shoot 100 free throws,' Al said, 'it wasn't 50, it wasn't 65, it was 100 — and he didn't stop until he got to 100.' Having been dubbed 'Batman and Robin' in high school, Greenwood and Hamilton remained close at UCLA, rooming together and biking to campus from where they lived in the Fairfax District. Hamilton remembered Greenwood as a remarkable rebounder who whipped outlet passes to him to get fast breaks started. 'We would always know how to motivate each other,' Hamilton said, 'and connect with each other on the floor.' Becoming a star by his sophomore season, Greenwood averaged a double-double in points and rebounds as a junior and a senior, finishing each season as an All-American. The 6-foot-9 forward's go-to move was starting with his back about 10 to 12 feet from the basket before faking one way and unleashing a spin-around jumper. One of his favorite memories as a Bruin, according to his brother, was a comeback against Washington State toward the end of his career in which the Bruins wiped out a late double-digit deficit, winning on Greenwood's putback dunk only seconds before the buzzer. UCLA never recaptured the Wooden glory during Greenwood's four seasons, reaching the Final Four his freshman year and a regional final his senior year. But Greenwood remains No. 15 on the school's all-time scoring list, having tallied 1,721 points. After the Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the first pick of the 1979 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls took Greenwood second as part of their massive rebuilding efforts. (Hamilton was also a lottery pick, going 10th to the Pistons.) 'He wasn't exciting, he was steady,' Al Greenwood said of his brother. 'You knew you were going to get a double-double every night out of him regardless of what the score was.' Greenwood started every game in his first NBA season, averaging 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while making the all-rookie team. The Bulls went 30-52, their loss total more than triple the 17 losses that Greenwood's teams had absorbed in four seasons as a Bruin. But he persevered through the losing and a series of foot injuries caused by a running style in which his heels would hit the ground before his toes. Al remembered his brother coming back to Los Angeles to play the Lakers and taking his shoes off at home, saying it felt as if they were full of broken glass. 'That was how his feet felt a lot of the time, but he just played even when he shouldn't have,' Al said. 'I always called him The Thoroughbred.' Greenwood would undergo one Achilles' surgery on one foot and two on the other, never missing a full season in the process. In October 1985, before the widespread use of cell phones, Greenwood learned he had been traded to San Antonio for future Hall of Famer George Gervin while listening to the radio. Late in his 12-year NBA career, he was a surprise playoff contributor for the Detroit Pistons when they won the 1990 NBA championship. Hamilton worked for CBS Sports as part of the production team broadcasting the Finals that year. 'Having my best friend in the world on the team and winning a title,' Hamilton said, 'that was a joy for me.' Greenwood went on to own several Blockbuster video stores and coached at his alma mater, guiding Verbum Dei to state championships in 1998 and 1999. His nephew recalled a soft side, his uncle picking him up and giving him a good tickle. Greenwood is survived by his brother, Al; sister, Laverne; son, Jemil; and daughter, Tiffany, along with his former wife, Joyce. Services are pending.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘You couldn't pay us enough': Stephen A. Smith relays Rockets' response to Ime Udoka rumor
The New York Knicks reportedly have interest in hiring Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, but Udoka remains under contract with Houston for multiple future seasons. Coming off a season with the NBA's fourth-best record and a young and improving roster, the Rockets like the course they're on. Moreover, Udoka finished third in 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year voting. So, there's not much incentive for Houston — even if offered lucrative compensation — to consider letting Udoka out of his contract to speak with the Knicks. Advertisement Per ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, who happens to be a longtime Knicks fan, that's the message he's seemingly heard from Houston. On Tuesday's First Take, Smith said: Ime Udoka is one of the best coaches in the NBA. This brother is something better. When Jay Williams brought up about the New York Knicks reaching out to Houston, I got a text. 'You don't have enough,' they said. 'You couldn't pay us enough.' Ime Udoka ain't going anywhere, I got that text message, he's not going anywhere. And damn right, they should hold onto him for dear life. Smith's complete comments on Udoka and the Rockets can be viewed below. In recent days, the Knicks have seemingly shifted their focus to Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who does appear to have some level of interest in the New York vacancy. It is possible that New York's interest could be leveraged by Udoka and his representation in upcoming negotiations with the Rockets, who are likely planning to give him a contract extension by the 2026 offseason at the latest (his current deal will end after the 2026-27 season). Stay tuned! Advertisement More: Reports: With sudden coaching vacancy, Knicks intrigued by Houston's Ime Udoka This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: 'You couldn't pay us enough': Rockets on Knicks, Ime Udoka rumor
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rockets formally reject Knicks' bid to speak with head coach Ime Udoka
As expected, the Knicks formally reached out to the Houston Rockets regarding permission to speak with head coach Ime Udoka. New York has been without a coach since deciding to part ways with Tom Thibodeau after its Eastern Conference finals loss. Also as expected, the Rockets denied that request, SNY's Ian Begley reported Tuesday night. He cited people familiar with Houston's stance. Advertisement Udoka remains under contract with Houston for the next two seasons. Coming off a season with the NBA's fourth-best record and a young and improving roster, the Rockets like the course they're on. Moreover, Udoka finished third in 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year voting. So, there's not much incentive for Houston — even if offered lucrative compensation — to consider letting Udoka out of his contract to speak with the Knicks. It is possible that New York's interest could be mentioned by Udoka and his representation in future negotiations with the Rockets, who are likely planning to give him a contract extension by the 2026 offseason at the latest. But clearly, the plan for both Udoka and the Rockets is for their partnership to continue beyond the current contract. More: 'You couldn't pay us enough': Stephen A. Smith relays Rockets' response to Ime Udoka rumor This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets formally reject Knicks' bid to speak with head coach Ime Udoka
