Bronny James
He stepped from his father's immense shadow onto the NBA court, making history as part of the league's first active father-son duo.
Born 2004 (age 22)·American basketball player·Birthday: October 6·Generation Z
Biography
Born LeBron James Jr. in 2004, Bronny James entered the world with a basketball pedigree that guaranteed scrutiny. His childhood was spent in gymnasiums and on sidelines, a firsthand education in the sport's highest levels. At Sierra Canyon School, he carved his own identity as a poised, defensive-minded guard, earning McDonald's All-American honors. A cardiac arrest during a USC practice in 2023 became a public hurdle, but his recovery and subsequent entry into the 2024 NBA draft demonstrated a quiet resilience. Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers, his professional debut was less about individual stats and more about a symbolic passing of the torch; sharing the floor with his father, LeBron, fulfilled a long-held dream for both and etched their names into the record books as a unique partnership.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Bronny was born in 2004, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bronny Was Born
The biggest hits of 2004
#1 Movie
Shrek 2
Best Picture
Million Dollar Baby
#1 TV Show
American Idol
Bronny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
2004Born
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2009Started school
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2017Became a teenager
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Could drive
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2022Could vote
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2025Turned 21
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 22 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named a McDonald's All-American in 2023 as a senior at Sierra Canyon School.
- Played NCAA Division I basketball for the USC Trojans during the 2023-24 season.
- Selected 55th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
- Became, with his father LeBron James, the first active father-son duo to play in the NBA simultaneously.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Bronny' is a portmanteau of 'Bron' from LeBron and the suffix '-ny'.
He wore jersey number 6 in high school and college, the same number his father has worn for much of his career.
He committed to play college basketball for the University of Southern California (USC).
He has a younger brother named Bryce and a younger sister named Zhuri.
“I'm just trying to make a name for myself and get better every day.”
