Bronny James wants to step out of LeBron’s shadow: “I want to prove who i am”

Throughout his career, Bronny James has had to live with a first and last name that inevitably carry a lot of weight. Now, for the first time since entering the NBA, he will have to do it without his father beside him in the same locker room.

The trade that sent LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers separated the duo that made history over the past two seasons by becoming the first father and son to play in the same NBA game at the same time. A unique chapter that came to an end with LBJ’s decision to leave Los Angeles in free agency.

Curiously, it is a decision father and son reportedly discussed very little:

We’re people who don’t talk much when it comes to business, what we’re going to do and how we feel about each other. So, to be honest, we didn’t really talk about it much

Bronny James Jr.

Behind that apparent distance, however, is a shared understanding. Bronny wants to build his own path, and according to his son, LeBron understands his intentions perfectly:

He has his path and I have mine. He knows I want to make a name for myself and continue my career, keep growing as a player. And he knows I want to focus on that. So he decided to do it

Bronny James Jr.

The issue of personal identity has followed Bronny for practically his entire life. LeBron’s son officially carries the same name as his father, but the nickname everyone knows him by has become a way of trying to distinguish his own path:

You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron. How long have I been doing this now? It’s a motivating factor for me: I wake up every day trying to prove who I am as Bronny, instead of as LeBron

Bronny James Jr.

The separation will also create a completely new situation. After being teammates, LeBron and Bronny will become opponents, and their first matchup will come on a special stage: Lakers-76ers, scheduled in Los Angeles on Christmas Day.

I’m happy for him and I’m curious to see how their season goes. I’m excited to see him again on Christmas. I’m excited to play against him on Christmas, it’ll be cool

Bronny James Jr.

For Bronny, then, this will mark the beginning of a different phase of his career, while Los Angeles will also have to adjust to a new reality. The Lakers will enter the season with nine new players and, for the first time since the 2017-18 season, without LeBron James on the roster.

For years, Bronny has tried to prove that he is more than just “LeBron’s son.” Now he will have the opportunity to do so by following, at least on the court, a path completely separate from his father’s.