LeBron James is one proud dad!
The star athlete was left speechless after his son, Bronny James, was selected by his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, during the second round of the NBA draft on June 27.
Reacting to the news in an Instagram post on Saturday, June 29, LeBron shared a photo of Bronny, 19, in a Lakers jersey, plus a close-up of his future jersey that says “James Jr.”
Along with the photos, he wrote: “WITHOUT WORDS!! 🤴🏾.”
Lakers manager says Bronny James ‘worked for everything he got’ after being drafted by his father’s team
The NBA veteran also reposted the photo on his Instagram Stories alongside a few firefighter emojis and “999,” a nod to Bronny’s new jersey number.
At the University of Southern California, where Bronny just finished his first and only NCAA season, the student wore No. 6, but that number has been permanently retired from all NBA teams in 2022 in honor of the late Bill Russell.
LeBron previously wore No. 6 while playing for the Lakers until the 2023-2024 season, when he reverted to No. 23 after the number was retired.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1693x689:1695x691)/LeBron-James-Bronny-062924-01-e29f53d1676e463ebc018657a35d0835.jpg)
Bronny James is playing basketball in 2023.
Bob Levey/Getty
Newly drafted Bronny and his father, who signed with the Lakers in 2018, will make history this coming season as the first father-son duo to actively play in the NBA together on the same team.
Bronny James says being LeBron James’ son is ‘tough’: ‘I get a lot of criticism’
After the Lakers’ draft decision, LeBron proudly celebrated the news — and the history-making father-son duo — on Instagram. Alongside a collection of photos and videos of herself and Bronny over the years, the star wrote: “LEGACY!!!!!! 🤴🏾🤴🏾.”
Playing alongside Bronny in the NBA was one of LeBron’s final goals in his legendary basketball career. “I got to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” he said after the 2023 season.
“Either in the same uniform or fighting against him,” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(2821x701:2823x703)/LeBron-James-Bronny-062924-02-a5f6129c3edf4e65872467aa10ca035b.jpg)
LeBron James plays for the Lakers.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty
Bronny, the oldest of LeBron’s three children, was selected with the 55th pick in the draft after playing one shortened season at USC. Last year, ESPN projected him to be a top-10 pick in the NBA draft, but his status fell due to health issues and a poor freshman season.
The teenager missed the first eight games of the NCAA season after suffering cardiac arrest during practice. Doctors diagnosed him with an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” and he returned to the USC lineup to make his college basketball debut in December — with his father there to watch.
“It was all for my family,” LeBron told reporters of the debut at the time. “It was just an emotional, exhausting day, from the moment we all woke up to the moment the buzzer hit the zeros.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education