LeBron James Living Vicariously Through His Son Not Being A Once-In-A-Generation Talent

Image for article titled LeBron James Living Vicariously Through His Son Not Being A Once-In-A-Generation Talent

LOS ANGELES—Telling reporters that he planned to just savor the new dynamic, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James admitted Monday that he was living vicariously through his son LeBron James Jr. not being a once-in-a-generation talent. “Seeing Bronny out there, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to be a middling-to-good prospect with genuine concerns about whether I could succeed at the professional level,” said James, adding that being indisputably one of the greatest players in the game’s history meant that he had no idea what being merely pretty good at basketball must be like. “Maybe it’s not the healthiest thing as a parent, but I keep imagining myself in his shoes, being scouted but with questions as to whether I have the skills and physicality necessary to do well in the NBA. I’ve never experienced anything like that whatsoever, so it’s very tempting to pretend his experiences are my own. That said, I’m careful not to push my son too hard into becoming the decent option off the bench that I know he can be. He has to live his own life.” James added that he had spoken to his son, telling him that he didn’t want to pressure him into becoming a serviceable NBA player if it wasn’t what he wanted and that he would still love him even if he instead became a once-in-a-generation talent like his father.