'He has to become his own player': NBA fathers and sons relate to Bronny James scrutiny (2024)

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Bryce plays in here next.

The whisper caught like wildfire, running from seat to seat down the entire length of the back wall inside Court 1. Even at Peach Jam, a showcase for the top high school basketball talents in the country, it’s “Bryce” — Bryce James, better known as LeBron James’ younger son and Bronny James’ younger brother — who attracts maybe the biggest crowd of the entire event.

The phenomenon, of fans flocking to catch a glimpse of LeBron’s son, is nothing new. The basketball-watching world just went through the very same obsession with Bronny — and largely still is, especially after the Los Angeles Lakers made him the 55th pick in this summer’s draft and paired him with his famous father. But that decision came under intense scrutiny; in his lone college season at Southern California, Bronny started just six contests while averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The eye test, to many evaluators, told the same story as Bronny’s production: that if not for being LeBron’s son, he wouldn’t have been drafted at all. Then his uneven summer-league showing led to more questions.

And while the buzz that surrounded Bronny, and now Bryce, rises to unique heights, that plight is one that fellow NBA sons can relate to.

“He’s getting a lot of hate for no reason, just because he’s LeBron’s son. LeBron has a lot of haters,” said Cayden Boozer, a five-star point guard expected to end up at either Duke (like his father, Carlos), Miami or Florida. “He’s still a rookie. He was the 55th pick. I don’t know why they’re expecting, like, that he’s supposed to be the next generational player. He has to become his own player. You have to let that happen.”

Bronny and Bryce are far from the only sons of NBA players who have faced criticism.

“Our kids have to adapt to that early in life, right?” Carlos Boozer said. “They’d hear in fourth or fifth grade, ‘I know who your dad is.’”

In fact, of the numerous former NBA players whose sons were at Peach Jam last week, that scrutiny was a constant.

“At eight or nine years old, parents (were) cussing the kids out,” said 14-season NBA veteran Matt Barnes, whose twin sons, Isaiah and Carter, play for Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s under-15 team. “When you’re a pro’s son or a former pro’s son, there’s a bigger spotlight. There’s a lot of people who love you — but there’s just as many people who hate you.”

Along with Barnes’ boys, there’s a whole list of elite up-and-coming prospects whose fathers starred in the NBA:

• Cameron and Cayden Boozer (No. 2 and 19, respectively, in the 2025 recruiting class), twin sons of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer;
• Kiyan Anthony (No. 31 in 2025), son of 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony;
• Jacob Wilkins (No. 33 in 2025), son of nine-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins;
• Jermaine O’Neal Jr. (No. 101 in 2025), son of six-time All-Star Jermaine O’Neal;
• Alijah Arenas (No. 4 in 2026), son of three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas;
•Tajh Ariza (No. 6 in 2026), son of NBA champion Trevor Ariza;
• and, of course, Bryce James (No. 179 in 2025)

In the era of social media, though, being patient while NBA sons develop is easier said than done. Take Bryce again. Despite being only a consensus three-star prospect, and having just two college offers (per 247Sports) — from Ohio State, which LeBron has long supported; and Duquesne, where LeBron’s high school teammate, Dru Joyce III, was named head coach this spring — four lines of fans streamed into Court 1 just to catch a glimpse of the rising high school senior. Security eventually had to shut the doors once the gym hit capacity (which in grassroots terms, is often much larger than the intended capacity, anyway).

Unfortunately, Bryce suffered an apparent ankle/foot injury early in the game and was limited to just 14 total minutes. But his 1-for-5 effort that night wasn’t an outlier; across six Peach Jam games, the shooting guard averaged 4.7 points and two rebounds per game, with zero total assists in 111 minutes.

Social media is going to do its thing, though. On Monday, the day after the Peach Jam championship games, a video of Bryce’s “highlights” appeared on X… and in under 48 hours, had already been viewed almost three million times.

Bryce James was going off at Peach Jam! Lebron’s youngest son got in his bag 🎒 @bryce_james23 @KingJames @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/jp5k7yozeE

— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) July 22, 2024

“It’s unfair, but I understand it,” Trevor Ariza said of the attention paid to James’ sons. “To be honest with you, (Bronny’s) handled it great, and he’s carved and created his own path.”

With NBA scouts, college coaches, and a litany of former pros all mingling in the gyms, the conversation about Bronny’s NBA Summer League performances naturally emerged, too. (Bronny, who signed a reported four-year, $7.9 million contract, averaged 7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 32.7 percent overall and 13 percent from 3.)

“I’m completely fine with him being picked with the 55th pick. If they say it’s because of his dad, it’s because of his dad — but now it’s up to Bronny, and the microscope is obviously on him,” Barnes said. “He’s judged by everything he does. He had a rough first two games, and they thought the world was going to end. Then he bounced back and had two solid games. So everything has to come in perspective.”

That, as much as anything, seemed to be the universal message from NBA fathers to their sons: Worry about yourself and your game, because that’s all you can control. Carlos Boozer said he and his wife, CeCe, started telling their twins that as early as elementary school when the boys first expressed real interest in basketball. “We kept preaching that,” Boozer said. “Don’t worry about any of that (noise). Just go hoop.”

As Bronny’s professional career gets going, though, other high-profile prospects with NBA dads are at least cognizant of what attention they should expect. Cam Boozer, for instance, is arguably the best player in high school basketball, which will come with plenty of criticism on top of being Carlos’ son.

Asked directly if he had empathy for what Bronny was going through, Cam said, “For sure. He was definitely born into a tough situation. It kind of sucks for him — but it also benefited him at the same time.”

(Top photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)