With LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, Bronny James is no longer his father's teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers. And you know what? That should actually help Bronny's development moving forward. The younger James hinted at this during Lakers Media Day on Monday.
"Just the motivating factor of creating my own path, my own career just makes me want to get up every day and work hard," Bronny said. "You guys know me as Bronny. My real name is LeBron. ... [I'm] trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron."
With how well he's handled the spotlight, and by being just a likable person and player overall, Bronny has so many people rooting for him to carve out his own NBA path.
In my view, there are three things Bronny can/must do to escape his father's shadow and really begin to write the Bronny Story as a separate narrative from the LeBron Story. Let's dive into it.
3 boxes Lakers guard Bronny James must check to escape LeBron's shadow
1. Become an elite 3-point shooter (something LeBron has never been)
LeBron James is the greatest scorer in NBA history, but he's never been an outstanding 3-point shooter. He shot 29% from 3 as a rookie and has improved steadily through the years but still holds a decent-but-not-great 34.8% career mark from downtown. Defenses sagging off a young LeBron was literally the only way to slow him down (and even that didn't work most of the time).
Bronny's been a good shooter from a young age -- LeBron has even admitted in interviews that both Bronny and his other son, Bryce, are better shooters than he was as a youngster. And it's a good thing that Bronny developed a jumper early on, because he's a lot smaller than LeBron, as we all know, despite sharing similarly freakish athleticism.
The most blatant and obvious way that Bronny can differentiate himself from his father is by becoming an elite, 40%-ish 3-point shooter over the course of his career. This would be something so easy for fans to grab onto and say, 'Look, he's a much different player than LeBron. He's a better shooter, for one thing.'
2. Become a rotational guard for the Lakers
This one might sound a little direct or simple/obvious, but the fact remains that Bronny is still in the "prospect" portion of his young career. To truly gain the respect as his own player, he needs to show that he belongs in an NBA rotation.
On the Lakers, this'll mean limiting his turnovers as a ballhandler, playing as a connector on offense who can make great decisions, and becoming a plus defender, despite his small stature.
If Bronny can carve out a role where he's not only playing 10 or 12 minutes a night but genuinely looking like he belongs out there and isn't being given special treatment, he's already stepped out from LeBron's shadow. Lakers head coach JJ Redick and the organization seems to believe in Bronny's potential to become a rotational guard. Now, Bronny needs to go make it happen.
3. Get one viral moment against LeBron in a game
Hear me out on this third one. Bronny and LeBron will soon become the first father-son duo to play against each other in an NBA game. The first meeting will be on Christmas Day, as a matter of fact, and then they meet again in March.
It doesn't have to be this season, but at some point, Bronny really needs to get the better of LeBron during a one-on-one situation in an NBA game. This would symbolize so much for Bronny and, given the clip-based digital age we live in, do so much for Bronny's surface-level reputation (which, sadly, is important as a pro athlete when it comes to building a brand).
It's unlikely that Bronny will dunk on his father (though that would be absolutely incredible), but even a steal, or hitting a pull-up 3 over him in transition, would suffice. The Bronny brand needs one clip like this to boost Broony's identity as his own NBA entity.
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