LeBron James says Bronny will shrug off critics - 'He does not care' - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — LeBron James says Bronny James — his eldest son-turned-Los Angeles Lakers teammate after the franchise drafted him with the No. 55 pick last month — is uniquely prepared to handle the scrutiny that has already started to come his way.

«I don't know if people really understand Bronny,» James told ESPN as part of a wide-ranging interview after USA Basketball practice Sunday in preparation for the Paris Olympics. «He doesn't care. I actually care a little bit. When I came in [as a rookie], I wanted people to like me and some of the things that people were saying about me kind of bothered me early on in my career.… He doesn't give a f---.

»He does not care about nobody. He doesn't even listen to that stuff. He's like the coolest. He's like the complete opposite of his dad. His dad will say something [to address the critics]. Bro does not care.… Everything that's being said about him, he really does not care."

LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading scorer who has amassed a net worth north of $1 billion over the course of his 21-year playing career, said Bronny has not let all that success affect who he is as a person.

«Just imagine if you were a kid, you were born into a situation where your dad was super famous, super wealthy and you the kid still had the drive to want to be able to accomplish things for yourself,» LeBron continued. «I personally don't know if I would've been able to do that if the roles were reversed. ...

»When I was coming up, I had no choice. I literally had no choice.… I had to make it out for me. My mom, my family, my hometown, my city. Bronny has all the choices in the world. If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or