LeBron James Explodes With Pride as Bronny James Earns Increased Workload To Start Sophomore Year

LA Lakers forward LeBron James has expressed pride in his son Bronny James's development. On Friday's episode of his podcast “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, he mentioned how Bronny was able to handle filling in for injured stars Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart at the start of the season.

“No, it's been great,” James said. [Timestamp: 12:14]. “You know, not only as a father, but just as a student of the game to see someone kind of use what he was able to do last year in the G-League, you know, use that, get more comfortable. … I was just super proud of him for the maturation process."

Bronny played more than 18 minutes in consecutive games for the first time this season in the Lakers' back-to-back against Miami and Portland at the start of the month. He amassed seven points, eight assists and four steals across the two games, both of which the Lakers won.

While he has made strides in his sophomore season, his minutes have been limited due to the Lakers’ crowded backcourt. He has spent time with the South Bay Lakers, where he recorded 15 points, four rebounds and eight assists, while shooting 5-for-10, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range, in the 115-95 home win against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Nov. 21.

LeBron, meanwhile, missed the start of the 2025-26 season due to a flare-up of sciatica. This was the first time in his career that he had missed a season opener. He made his season debut on Nov. 18, in a 140-126 home win over the Utah Jazz, posting 11 points, 12 assists, three rebounds and a steal.

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LeBron James praises former team, the Miami Heat, following impressive start

On his podcast on Friday, LeBron James praised the Miami Heat following their hot start to the 2025-26 season.

“Bam has few games with multiple 3s, lob threat like the kid Ware, Jaime who’s very fast with ball, Wiggins, Mitchell, Powell very good downhill, it fits their personnel. That’s why Spo [Coach Erik Spoelstra] will be literally one of the greatest ever.”

The Heat are third in the East with a 13-6 record. They’re on a six-game winning streak and face the Detroit Pistons at home on Saturday.