LeBron James explains why he stays out of Bronny and Bryce’s relationships with their coaches

Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history—if not the greatest—as evidenced by his illustrious résumé, which includes being the league’s all-time leading scorer.

Despite his status and influence, James is known for taking a low-profile approach when it comes to coaching his sons, Bronny and Bryce Maximus James, both of whom are basketball players.

In a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, co-hosted by NBA legend Steve Nash, the 40-year-old asserted that he never gets involved with his kids’ coaches and lets them find their own way.

“I have never gotten involved with my kids’ coaches. From Bronny growing up to where he is now, and Bryce on his way to Tucson to Arizona, I have never gotten involved. I have never gone to a practice and sat through the whole time to see how my son was being utilized. I never got on the phone with the coaches,” James stated.

“Listen, coach my son—coach him however you want to. And I think you need to hold him accountable. I hope you hold him more accountable than any other kid here, and say the f*** you need to say, no matter how it’s being said. If he can just take the message and not focus on how it was said—just take the message—I think that builds character as well,” he added.

LeBron James says he’s never been involved with Bronny or Bryce’s coaches:

“I’ve never got on the phone with the coaches… Coach my son, coach him however you want to, and I hope you hold him more accountable than any other kid here.”

(🎥 via @mindthegamepod / @uninterrupted) pic.twitter.com/IjuqKbAoiT

— Lakers Better (@LakersBetter) June 8, 2025

“I think it’s part of the reason why they are where they are at this stage in their lives. Babying your kid and always thinking that your kid is this or that, and not allowing coaches to coach them or people to be hard on them—as soon as a coach or someone says something to them, you pull them and go somewhere else. Or as soon as someone says something about your kid, you’re the first person to go talk in their face. It’s like, you f***ing go coach them then,” James concluded.

Bronny was selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, although many still believe this was done on LeBron’s insistence, as he had expressed a desire to play alongside his son before retiring. However, the 20-year-old struggled in his debut season with the Lakers, averaging just 2.3 points per game in approximately 6.7 minutes of playing time across 27 appearances.

His struggles led to him being sent to the Lakers’ G-League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, where he performed much better—averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game across 11 games.

Bryce, meanwhile, recently announced his commitment to the University of Arizona to play college basketball for the Wildcats and officially signed with them on April 17, 2025.

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