Having the namesake of an icon can have many drawbacks, and when your father is NBA star LeBron James, expectations can be too high to handle. James admits in a new interview that he regrets giving LeBron James Jr his name, even though he did it for a good reason, according to The Bleacher Report.
James said in the first episode of his new HBO TV series, The Shop, that his dad wasn’t around so he wanted to leave a legacy and pass on his name to his oldest son, who is now 14. But being named after the legendary basketball player has its drawbacks.
Comedian Jon Stewart asked James about how he helps kids, especially his oldest son nicknamed “Bronny” deal with the expectations of others expectations of them because of his name.
“They’re playing the same sport that you play better than anyone else in the world… how do you give them peace of mind that they don’t have to be you?” Stewart asked.
“I still regret giving my 14-year-old my name,” James admits.
“When I was younger, I didn’t have a dad, so my whole thing was whenever I have a kid, I’m going to do everything that this man didn’t do,” James said, adding: “It’s up to them to take their own course, whenever that time comes.”
James said his son is making his mark in basketball too. His AAU team won 66-18 on Wednesday.
New Team and a New Show
James found a new home with the Los Angeles Lakers as well as a new home for his latest project, The Shop.
The NBA star has inked a deal with HBO to debut his latest project, a barbershop-style talk show, on the network.
The Shop will begin airing on HBO in August and will serve up unfiltered banter from celebrities and athletes as they hit up barber shops across the country. According to Deadline, the first episode will feature Snoop Dogg, Jon Stewart, Draymond Green, Candace Parker, Odell Beckham Jr., and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.
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This isn’t the only project LeBron James has up his sleeve. He’s the executive producer of YouTube’s docu-series, Best Shot and is gearing up to release another sports documentary, Student Athlete on HBO Sports on October 2.
In a recent interview with TheGrio, Jay Williams took time to highlight how important the work LeBron James continues to do is.
“He’s somebody from a background where he watched his mother do whatever she needed to do give him what he needed. He comes from an inner-city background. Lebron wanted to make more films about kids that looked and sounded like him,” he says.
“People do more with their words now than they do with their actions. To find someone who puts his money and his time where his words are is something I respect and love about him. What Lebron has been able to do on the court is great but what this man has been able to accomplish off the court speaks way more than how many points he scores and him being considered the greatest player of all time. The time and effort he spends on implementing change, that’s the secret sauce. Our youth needs us and they need our commitment and that comes with time.
Looks like the move to Tinseltown can’t come soon enough for this man on a mission to dominate the NBA and the entertainment world.
The Shop premieres August 28 on HBO.