• LeBron and Bronny James are set to make history as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA on the same team.
• “I’ve been dealing with things like this all my life. It’s no different. It’s definitely more amplified, but I can overcome it,” Bruni said of the pressure while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, July 2.
  
• “It never occurred to me to play with my father… that wasn’t my main focus,” the 19-year-old insisted of playing alongside his famous father.

Bronny James looks ready to take on the pressure of playing alongside his famous father on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, July 2, Bronny, 19, insisted he did not enter the NBA draft just so he could play alongside his father LeBron, 39, who signed with the Lakers in 2018.

“I’m trying to make a name for myself,” Bruni told reporters after being selected by the team in the second round of the draft on June 27. News agency.

“I just want to play and do my job and get better every day,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “I never thought about going to play with my dad. That’s always there to be involved in, but it wasn’t my main focus.”

When they step onto the court together, Bronny and LeBron will make history as the first father-son duo to play on the same NBA team. However, the pressure of making history doesn’t seem to bother the teenager.

“It definitely added to the pressure,” he said at the press conference. “I’ve already seen it on social media and online and other things that I might not deserve a chance.”

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“But I’ve been dealing with things like this my whole life. It’s not different. It’s definitely more amplified, but I can get through it,” Bruni insisted.

He added that he was ready to play for such a huge team because of “the things (LeBron) has told me my whole life. Just having the work ethic, coming here and working, listening to your coaches and being able to coach, things like that have been on my mind my whole life.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Bruni discussed the time he took off work last year after suffering a cardiac arrest during a USC basketball practice in July 2023, as People previously reported.

In May, it was revealed that Bronny, who was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, had been cleared by the NBA’s fitness committee to play in time for the NBA draft.

“I feel like I could have improved more during the time I spent off the pitch,” he said during the press conference. “I feel like I got a chance to really show what I can do, because I didn’t get a lot of opportunities at SC. So I’m excited about what’s coming.”

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Despite Bronny’s comments, his father LeBron has been vocal in the past about his desire to play with his son.

“I need to be on the pitch with my son, I need to be on the pitch with Bronny,” he said after the 2023 season.

“Either in the same uniform or in a match against him,” he added.

After Bronny was selected by his team late last month, LeBron shared his excitement on social media.

The NBA doctor shared a photo of Bronny wearing a Lakers jersey on Instagramas well as a close-up of the shirt he will be wearing, which reads “James Jr.”

“No words!! 🤴🏾,” he wrote alongside the photos.