We all know that sports parent: the one who gets very excited during their kids' games [1], and could probably take it down a notch. But what happens when said parent is LeBron James? Do you expect LeBron to be the dad in the back row of the bleachers on his phone while his son is playing the game he loves? Absolutely not! We expect LeBron to be just as excited (if not more excited) to watch his 14-year-old son play basketball [2] as he is watching his Los Angeles Lakers teammates play. Over the weekend, LeBron James, Jr. aka Bronny, was playing in an AAU tournament when he scored an impressive slam dunk for his team. A video captured LeBron losing his mind (and his shoe) over his son's play, and for some reason, he's being criticized for it [3].
We're talking about LeBron James here — one of the greatest professional basketball players in the entire world — not a regular suburban sports dad [4]. Of course he's going to be excited watching his son play the game he loves so much. He's not screaming at refs from the sidelines about bad calls, nor is he yelling at teenage players [5]; he's simply an incredibly proud dad, and there's no reason why his pride should be coming into question.
Sports host Nick Wright said it best [6]: "The fact that LeBron being an exuberant, involved & supportive father is being used as a cudgel against him is utter insanity and borderline infuriating. LeBron is clearly being the father he wished he had and his son, along with his son's teammates, obviously love it."
We understand that some people want to make sure the game is about the players and not the parents, but at the end of the day, LeBron is just proud of Bronny. Watch the clip from the game and see what people are saying about LeBron's celebration ahead.
