LeBron James sent his son Bronny a playful warning as the two celebrated the elder James’ 40th birthday.
Monday marked a big day for LeBron, with the Los Angeles Lakers star continuing his reign as the oldest player in the NBA, just months older than P.J. Tucker, Chris Paul and Taj Gibson, who are all 39 years old. Between the four, James remains a top talent in the league, despite his advanced age.
To commemorate the four-time NBA champion’s birthday, the Lakers brought out Bronny and the rest of Los Angeles rookies to sing Happy Birthday to the legend. And while LeBron and Bronny appeared to be having a good time, there was a moment where it seemed as if the elder James gave the rookie a playful warning.
As the song came to a close, the rookies sang “Happy Birthday dear LeBron.” During that moment, the 40-year-old quickly pointed to his son, seemingly making sure Bronny did not accidentally sing “Happy Birthday dear dad.”
After Bronny said “dear LeBron,” the NBA star forward flashed a big smile, which led to scattered laughs throughout the practice facility. Once the quartet finished their song, LeBron shared his appreciation for the rookies and their singing ability.
LeBron making sure his son didn’t call him “dad” falls in line with how the two prefer to keep their relationship when on the court or at the Lakers’ practice facility. Before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season, LeBron shared that he and Bronny follow a specific set of rules when referring to each other away from home.
“No, we already laid that, no, he can’t,” LeBron said at the time. “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.”
LeBron added: “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.”
And while LeBron is the oldest player in the league, the 40-year-old admitted that he could play at an elite level for another five or more years. Speaking to reporters Monday, LeBron shared he would like to end his career with the Lakers, though it ultimately is not up to him.
“I would love to end here. That would be the plan,” he told reporters. “I mean, I came here to play my last days of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not too silly or jaded to know the business of the game as well.
“To be honest, if I wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level for probably about 5 to 7 years. But I’m not going to do that.”
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